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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Ye have heard that it hath been said (Exod. 21:24-25, violence, Biblical language)

I'm going to put up a short post, just for the heck of it.
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:24-25)
This is a short little phrase, and perhaps one of the most famous, most misunderstood, and most famously misunderstood of all Bible passages. The SAB makes no comment on the verse, but merely marks the verse with the icons for violence and injustice. I think the SAB has it all wrong. Note that in discussing this verse, I'm removing it from the context that it appears in here, which I discussed in my last post. After all, the phrase appears three different times in the Mosaic Law.

The funny thing about my view on this verse is that my opinion on it is based on insight given to me not by a pastor, but by my mother, who is not a Christian (at least in the more fundamentalist vein I put myself in; she's a Unitarian), but knows the Bible pretty well. She actually grew up in an era when the Bible was taught in public school, which I didn't realize was so recent.

Anyway, the thing is, many people look at this on the face of it and go in a direction that was probably not the intended one. As Mahatma Gandhi so famously said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." You don't want people going around gouging out each others' eyes, do you? Would God want that? It seems to some that God here is telling people that if a person commits an act of violence, then they must be punished by being injured in the exact same manner. If that were true, it would be very violent, yes, but I don't think it would be unjust.

Is that the case, however? See, what would be truly unjust is to give someone a punishment that far outweighed their crime. What if you gouged out my eye, and I chopped your head off? What if you stole $20 from me, and I had your hand cut off? The fact is, in the ancient Middle East (and perhaps sometimes today) there were many cultures that were keen on retribution. People wanted revenge so badly, that if they were injured, either physically or even if they were shamed, they might kill the person who had done them damage. Remember Jacob's sons killing all the men in a city because they were concerned about their sister's virtue? What can you say reasonably to a culture such as this?

Well, you can set limits. I think it's not going to work to say, "No, you may never get revenge ever." That doesn't even work in today's culture, in my opinion. Instead, you explain the concept of setting fair limits on revenge. If someone harms you, the most you can do is cause them to be harmed in the same manner. If your eye is poked out, you can ask that the offfender's eye be poked out, not that he be disemboweled. If a man kills a member of your family, you have the right to have him put to death, not the right to kill him, his wife, and his kids, and then burn down his house and sow his fields with salt.

I really think this is a matter of taking the rather simple language of the Bible and pushing it to say what it does not. What it does say is "be fair", not "violence is the solution".


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16 November 2011

Sinterklaas Intocht

Sinterklaas Intocht Cuijk 2011

On Sunday afternoon, we met up with a some of Papa's university friends in Cuijk (about 25 minutes from Nijmegen) to wait for Sinterklaas. That's Sinterklaas, not Santa Claus. It doesn't matter that they call him St. Nikolas in the songs – everyone swears up and down to me that they are not the same. Sinterklaas, as you may remember, is a retired bishop of Turkey who lives in Spain and comes to the Netherlands by steam boat every November along with an extraordinary number of brightly dressed, dancing, comic friends – all of whom just happen to be black, as in black-face, afro wigs, red lipstick, lots of dancing. I'll just let that and my last post about Sinterklaas (three years ago!) speak for themselves.

Sinterklaas Intocht Cuijk 2011

It was a cold day, one of the first we've had this fall. There were plenty over the summer, but this was a cold fall day, so very different. They have a lot of fun with singing for Sinterklaas, singing louder, asking Piet where he is, and so forth. Three or four different boats came by before the real deal Sinterklaas steam boat arrived. There was heavy mist on Sunday, so the boats came out of the mist and disappeared back into it as they passed. It was exciting. Sinterklaas arrived officially in Dordrecht this year, but then visits a lot of cities in Holland. I love that he travels by boat. When he arrived, there was a lot of talk about weather and locks that he had to go through to get to Cuijk. The mayor was there, too!

Sinterklaas Intocht Cuijk 2011

Afterwards, we all went to a friend's house for hot cocoa, coffee, tea, pepernoten (hard spiced cookies – good stuff), and a lot of catching up. We haven't really seen all of these friends and all of the kids (so many!) together for a long time, so it was really nice. The holiday season has officially begun!

1 comment:

  1. I took the children to see Sinterklaas when I was an au pair in Amsterdam and it was such a (cold) fun day!

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The Anti-Antebellum Charm Offensive

REBELLUM is a renegade splinter cell hacked from the recombinant corpus of Burnt Sugar Arkestra, Melvin Van Peebles’ widLaxative and FunkFace. The group’s debut album was composed and produced this past summer by BS maven Greg Tate, FF Lord Luqman Brown, and Burnt Sugar/Laxative strawboss Jared Michael Nickerson, in the Harlem studios of BuddhaBug Records.

Listen to the band perform live on → WYSO Public Radio

Gripping the sum of  REBELLUM’s parts LIVE demands one apprehends these factions: The  two-part super-fly vocal frontline  of  Mikel Banks & Shelley Nicole;  those ace riddim section companeras, The Buckeye Bass Mack Jared Michael Nickerson & our 主要 Man from Japan on Kick & Snare …  Hiroyuki “Matsu” Matsuura, Valerie June Guitar Hero, Ben Tyree, Bari Sax Goddess for TVOR & Nick Waterhouse ‘Moist’ Paula Henderson, Billy Ocean Tenor Sax Hooksmith V. Jeffery Smith, William Parker Trumpeter of Choice Lewis ‘Flip’ Barnes, Vernon Reid Keyboard Liberator, Leon Gruenbaum.

This very accomplished crew has  playing credits that range from The Roots, Toshi Reagon, Charlie Musselwhite, DJ Logic, Gary Lucas, TV On The Radio, Tamar-kali, Phish, William Parker, Mark Ribot, Lizz Wright, The Holmes Brothers, Lady Kier, Freedy Johnston, Sandra St. Victor, Wadada Leo Smith, David Murray, Debbie Gibson, Joseph Bowie and England’s The The.

ON THE RECORDING a gaggle of Special Guests include Abby Dobson, Micah Gaugh, Kim Hill, Marc Cary, Ronny Drayton, Somi, Satch Hoyt, Courtney Bryan, Vernon Reid, Meah Pace, Andre Lassalle, la Bruha Desi la, Mazz Swift and “The Darknuss Co-Producer, Buddhabug Records’ Luqman Brown.

Let us also give a shout-out to our Master Blaster Master-eur Tom Ruff for Asbury Media … Ya Heard!

File under Grown&SexyAvant-Agit-Pop. The 20 songs on REBELLUM’s debut album “the Darknuss”  on their own label, AvantGroidd Musica/Tru Groidd, burst forth a bloody profusion of exotic trace elements–warped soul harmonies, freedom swing horn play, maggot brained guitar implosions and arkestral loopadelics in the dark.

REBELLUM’s song titles loudly & proudly represent the ranting swoon of their Afro-Futurist insurgency: ”Start Thinking like An Afreakun”, ”The Darknuss”, ”Rock Star Amnesiac”, ”Who’s Loving You Now?”, ”Chains & Water / No Coloureds Allowed”, ”There Is A God (The Singularity)”and ”Young Frankenstank”.

The spirits of Sun Ra, Ron Hardy, Eddie Hazel, Gary Numan and The Emotions are all welcome here.

“The Darknuss” Production Credits:
Engineered & Produced by Luqman Brown for Buddhabug Records (Harlem N.Y.)
Mastered by Tom Ruff for Asbury Media
Executive Producers: Greg Tate for AvantGroidd Musica & Jared Michael Nickerson for Burnt Sugar Index LLC
Cover Collage by Wangechi Mutu
Photography by Nisha Sondhe
Cover Design by LaRonda Davis

“The Darknuss” cds & downloads can be purchased at CD Baby

“The Darknuss” can also be streamed & downloaded at Bandcamp


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Calories in Cadbury Milk chocolate bunny solid

How many calories should you eat?

Nutrition Facts Cadbury Milk chocolate bunny solid

Amount Per 0.25 package, 42 g
Calories 220 Kcal (921 kJ)
Calories from fat 108 Kcal
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Total Carbs 25g 8%
Sugars 24g 96%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 4g 8%
Vitamin A 0.1mg 2%
Iron 0.3mg 2%
Calcium 100mg 10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Find out how many calories should you eat.

Ingredients And Nutrition Overview

  • WeightWatchers Points: 5.2, PointsPlus: 6, SmartPoints: 11
    WeightWatchers Points are estimated by carbohydrates, fats, protein and fiber in product. They are not an affirmation of better quality or nutritional value of the product or its manufacturer. Only way to count for dieters. Less points are better.
    Read more at Weight watchers diet review
  • Over 40% of daily saturated fat!
    Bad! More 40% of daily saturated fat!

    For years Saturated fat was claimed to raise cholesterol levels and give us heart attacks. Today different studies refute this claim. They say, that replacing saturated fat with carbohydrates or refined starch or sugar is not changing the heart disease risk. Not processed carbs nor saturated fats are good for you. Only if you replace it with polyunsaturated fat, you'll get a reduction in heart disease risk. So try to have a balanced diet.
  • Convert Salt tsps to Sodium mg easily
    Salt (NaCl) is not excactly sodium (Na).
    It is not right to use these terms as synonyms.
    The FDA recommended limit of sodium is 2,300 mg per day (or even less - about 1500 mg while one is on low sodium diets).
    This is much less than the weight of salt.
    (5,750 mg per day or 3,750 mg for low sodium diet) and not so convenient to calculate.
    Know how much sodium is in your salt - without a calculator:
    1/4 tsp salt = 600 mg sodium
    1/2 tsp salt = 1200 mg sodium
    3/4 tsp salt = 1800 mg sodium
    1 tsp salt = 2300 mg sodium
  • 10 tsp of sugars per serving
    This volume includes both naturally occurring from ingredients and specially added sugars.
    USDA tells us that last years each American consumed an average 130 pounds of caloric sweeteners per year!
    That works out to 30 tsp of sugars per day approximately 480 extra calories!
    Just to think: Eating just 200 more calories daily than your body requires for body functioning and exercise leads to a 20-pound weight gain in a year.
  • A naturally good source of Calcium
    You get real, natural easy absorbing Calcium from this product, not as an artificial fortified ingredient.
    This is great! Let's try to get the best from the real food, because we get too much from artificial ingredients nowdays.

Lactose Allergy, Milk Allergy, Soy Allergy

How to burn 220 calories

Let's Burn 220 Calories!

Milk chocolate bunny solid Ingredients

Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Milk, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Lactose, Soy Lecithin, PGPR, Emulsifier, Natural and Artificial Flavor).

% RDI of Main Nutrition Facts

of RDI* (220 calories) 42 g
  • Cal: 11 %
  • Fat: 18.5 %
  • Carb: 8.3 %
  • Prot: 8 %
  • 0%
    RDI norm*

Calories Breakdown

  • Carbs (44.6%)
  • Fat (48.2%)
  • Protein (7.1%)
Cadbury Milk chocolate bunny solid Good and Bad Points
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Sunday, January 21, 2007

Rebirth of the Epistolary Arts

Not all that long ago, people wrote. Nearly all of them did.

Whether it was a short business communication to one's grocer or a lengthy, chatty letter to a relative who lived in another town, it was writing. And it was everywhere.

Sometimes, if you like to browse antique stores like I do, you see evidence of this ubiquitous activity of the everyday chronicler of news, information, and opinion. Postcards from postwar Europe. Birthday cards with personal notes inside. Thick sheets of spidery writing tucked, long forgotten, into an old, dusty book that sits forlornly on a shelf next to a tattered copy of Pamela, which, of course, is itself an epistolary novel.

In fact, you can't read seventeenth and eighteenth--but mainly eighteenth--century literature without finding numerous examples, albeit fictional ones, of the letter-writer's art. These letters were far more than the formula of "Dear Ellen, how are you and the little ones?" that replaced them by the mid-twentieth century. The letter writer was a sort of mini-journalist. All the news that was fit to ink--and some things that weren't--were neatly penned on several pages with the writer's full awareness that many more people than the original adressee would see and read them. Letters were passed around the family and discussed for days. A good letter might be read more than once, savored, pondered, ripped to shreds and then repaired before being answered.

There are some who think that blogging is just a new form of vanity. There are others, particularly in the old establishment media, who find it a threatening activity. What, should ordinary citizens, everyday people, sit around and write their own little unimportant thoughts and ideas, sometimes on the big events of the day, sometimes on their favorite pie recipe? This is something new and dangerous!

No, it isn't. The telephone may have replaced the letter as the main vehicle for the quick conveyance of information and for lengthy, idle chatting. E-mail may be convenient for business communication and the sending of birthday cards.

But for the displaced epistolary chronicler, there is only the blog. Once again, cousin Maria's progress in school and the pending arrival of Aunt Helen's baby can jostle against the war in Iraq and a list of proposed solutions to the Problem of Education. Once again, the total strangers who drop by can discuss the writer's take on the Democratic Party's presidential nominees and be graced with that pie recipe. As it should be, as it was, as it will be as long as people remember how to write.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy

The third commandment, that we must keep holy the Sabbath day, is one of the trickiest ones for modern-day Catholic (and Christian) Americans to follow. Employers increasingly expect and demand that employees will work at least some hours over the weekends, Sundays not excepted; our sprawling landscape and distance between home and grocery store sometimes (especially when gas prices are high) make it difficult to avoid a quick stop for necessities on the way home from church--especially when church and store are close together, and home is twenty or thirty minutes by car away; and most restaurants, entertainment venues, and similar businesses remain open, expecting that at least some of us will spend at least some of our money on these activities before the close of the day on Sunday.

The Church is quite reasonable about what does and does not constitute violation of the Sunday observance. Necessary work such as that performed in hospitals, police and fire departments, and even hotels is seen as a reminder of Our Lord's words that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Works of charity are always proper to a Sunday, too, whether they involve caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, or simply ministering to our own families' physical needs for the day with meals and other works.

But it is unfortunate that in America, Sunday has blended into Saturday and simply gets called "the weekend." While large numbers of Americans do go to some form of church or worship service, equally large numbers treat the day as another business day. All Christians, Catholics included, find ourselves walking a fine line between meeting the demands of our secular, consumer-driven society, and insisting on some respect for Sunday as a day that should be set aside for worship, for family, for rest and recreation, and for charitable acts, not for business (and especially not for non-essential, unpaid work so often demanded by corporate employers on that day).

It wasn't all that long ago in America when most stores and businesses simply were not open on Sunday. Not every restaurant was, either, though some were to offer Sunday brunch or to meet the needs of travelers or or those who had to work in the fields mentioned above. By and large, Sunday just wasn't a day to do your shopping. People understood the concept of a rest from labor, and looked forward to Sunday as a break from the usual routine.

Once things changed, though, there hasn't been much of a push to go in the opposite direction (Chik-fil-A is a notable exception). The notion that giving up Sunday business meant giving up too much revenue became deeply ingrained in American companies, especially retail establishments. And now, with the economic crisis beginning to take its toll, some people are pushing to expand Sunday store hours even further, to make stores and businesses open the same hours on Sunday as they are the rest of the week.

Recognizing, perhaps, the reality that this particular genie is much harder to put back in the bottle than it was to take out, the European community is still fighting against Sunday shopping. Granted, many are more worried about losing Sunday as a secular holiday than in losing the religious significance of the day; some countries which fight hard against Sunday shopping have seen precipitous declines in the number of regular church-goers. Still, it's interesting to follow:

But over the past few years, Europe has faced a push from politicians to abandon the tradition to follow the American retail model. "Sunday is an extra day of growth," Mr. Sarkozy explained, when he announced his plan to overturn a 102-year-old law legally sanctioning Sunday rest. "It is extra purchasing power and other countries are doing it."

England took the lead in embracing the Sunday shopping culture in 1994, and was soon followed by Sweden and Spain. Once freed from communist dictatorships, countries like Hungary and Croatia joined the trend. In Roman Catholic Poland, Sunday shopping has become a national pastime. Now, with the issue dividing much of the Continent, the tide is shifting.

"American capitalism used to look great – you have lower corporate taxes, more freedom, it's easier to create your own business – but the recession has put a damper on it, and people are asking 'What is the point?' Has it made people richer?" asks Stephen Miller, author of "The Peculiar Life of Sundays." "Now, Europeans want to distinguish their capitalism from an American version they see as too frantic, too excessive. They want to protect their day off, they want to keep their social model."

Croatia had overturned bans on Sunday trading in 1994, but then slammed the door shut to Sunday shopping last month, when a new ban took effect. The change is seen as a concession to the Catholic Church. Major retailers have appealed, saying the change could lead to 7,000 jobs lost and score of store closures at a time when the Croatia can ill afford the blow.

I hope that Europe can succeed in retaining their Sunday laws. It's much harder to turn back the clock, and renew a sense that Sunday should be a day of rest, when the culture has decided that it no longer is.

LeeAnn said...

This commandment is always a tricky one to teach in first communion class. I do tell the kids they have an obligation to attend Mass every Sunday. And that we should rest as much as possible and refrain from working and shopping on that day. However, so little of it is in their power. I can only imagine the conversations that go on in some families. "But teacher said we're supposed to go to Mass today! Teacher said we're supposed to rest today!"

MommaLlama said...

LeeAnn, if the child is having to remind the parent... that is a sad situation! Unfortunately most parents aren't well versed in this matter and Sunday has become a catch-all sort of day!

Charlotte said...

Hobby Lobby is another store that stays closed on Sundays on account of the beliefs of its Christian CEO.

I don't think people realize that Europe is, generally, a store-closed continent on Sundays. Much to my dismay, both times I vacationed in Paris, it was near impossible to do anything, especially find a simple necessity that you might need or run out of as a traveler. In fact, I recall asking someone for help, and there was a "quick list" rundown of stores and entertainment venues that all Parisians had memorized and knew were open on Sundays. And let me tell you, that list was SHORT.

In reading this through, I felt conflicted. I was never taught in my 70s/80s catechism about acually "resting" on the Sabbath, only just going to church. I can understand the value in taking it a step further, and in fact, have asked my husband to cut-down the Sunday hours he works on his 2nd job that he works from home for the sake of the Sabbath. (A job, by the way, that is the difference between "just hanging on" and potential bankruptcy. I don't work, I stay home with our child. So he HAS to work some hours on Sunday.)

Still, who owns the definition to "rest" in our modern day? For some women, especially those who work outside the home, "rest" might consist of the peace-of-mind that comes with being able to vacuum or clean the house properly for her family when she otherwise has no time to do so. Ditto for shopping - "rest" might be the one time during the week when the family can enjoy being together at the mall or at Wal-Mart shopping for whatever it is they need.

I agree that many more stores are open on Sunday than are needed. And personally, on some issues, Europe has it right. But I'm not so sure that wishing for a Europe-style Sunday afternoon works in an American culture. The debate as to if both parents NEED to work and for how LONG they work is a debate for another time. But as long as this country runs according to a mostly 2-income family model, there is a need for stores, restaurants and entertainment to be open on Sundays.

Anonymous said...

Interesting post...fodder for a health policy study on effects of 'rest' for a day!

Tony Lohnes said...

Just read your blog! I want to pass on to you our web site.

Save Our Sundays

Kimberly said...

I see that this topic was discussed a few months ago, but I wanted you to know how heartening it is to see that others are concerned about keeping the Sabbath holy.
I grew up in a home where Sundays were days set apart from the rest of the week. My husband and I have done the same thing. Besides worshipping God, it has been a day to shut out the world and concentrate on the only things we take with us when we leave this mortal exisitence: our character and our relationships.
God bless you and your family,


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St Kitts-Nevis Celebrates 29th Anniversary of Independence

Written by Red Carpet Shelley. Posted in Red Carpet Shelley Home

Published on September 20, 2012 with No Comments

The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis marked its 29th anniversary of independence on Wednesday with a traditional ceremonial parade at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium in Basseterre – the twin island nation’s capital.

Platoons from the St Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, Coast Guard Unit, Royal St Christopher and Nevis Police Force, St Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Service, and St Kitts-Nevis Cadet Corps were joined on parade by units from Port Authority Security, Girls Guide, Boys Brigade, Pathfinders, the Shadwell Overcomers and a contingent from the visiting Royal Navy Fleet Auxiliary Ship Argus.

Governor General Sir Cuthbert Sebastian received the royal salute and official march past in slow and quick time as the St Kitts and Nevis Defence Force Band played renditions of popular military tunes.

Present were members of the Cabinet headed by its chairman, Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas, members of the National Assembly and representatives from the locally-based diplomatic community including Taiwan, Venezuela and Cuba. Visiting dignitaries from Grenada, Saba, the United States, United Kingdom, Finland, Russia, South Korea, France, Canada, South Africa, European Union and Mexico along with a large cross section of the population attended the ceremony and were appreciative of the display, which was described as “sharp and splendid.”

After the ceremony the troops marched to Camp Springfield for the traditional toast, which was made by the Governor General.

Douglas led three cheers for the nation. He thanked the many allied states of St Kitts and Nevis, noting that the Federation values their contributions. The prime minister also congratulated the troops on parade.

The prime minister referred to the theme for this year’s independence celebrations – Cherishing Children, Strengthening Families — and stated that it was important to honour children as they are the future leaders of the Federation.

Douglas expressed appreciation to the members of the security forces as well as their leaders, Commissioner of Police Celvin Walwyn and Lt Colonel Patrick Wallace, noting that the unprecedented interagency collaboration has been successful in reducing the impact of antisocial elements.

While looking forward to the 30th anniversary celebrations in 2013, Douglas said, “Today I want us to dream, dream big things because together we can achieve big things.”

SOURCE:  Caribbean News Now

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Welcome to the BHG Rewards Market Place where you can redeem points online for merchandise and gift certificates. Click below for instructions on how to use this redemption website. If you have any problems, feel free to call our Rewards Coordinator Kate Coughlin at (859) 977-2613 or email and we will gladly get back to you as quickly as possible. Please note that calls and emails are returned Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.


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UK Esports – Killing Me Softly

, Blog, Opinions

Ignore the title, I was lacking creativity when searching for one. Don’t ignore the recent events which have seen the best and worst of UK esports rear its ugly head though.

For those not aware, November 29th 2012 will go down as a bad day for UK esports. As we’ve staggered from one disaster to another in the last dozen years, 2012 gave hope that actually UK esports could hold it’s own, produce great tournaments & send superb players to international events (and not just to make up the numbers). There was also hope that two of the biggest players in the market, Multiplay and Heaven Media had, at least from the outside begun to thaw the frostiness.

The success of AMD experience events (run by HM), the WCS Finals (run by Ben and Luke) and the excellent i46 (Multiplay) all gave notice that the UK could no longer be looked over as some back street shady den of disaster and instead had produced world class events with fantastic coverage.

You could argue these events weren’t perfect, but esports events rarely are. You can’t argue they are three of the best things to hit these shores in the last 15 years of esports, but it’s the last part I want to concentrate on here, the coverage.

While lots of sites have sprung up around the globe over the last few years, two have remained at the highest level, regardless of your allegiance to games, Cadred and HLTV.ORG. These two stalwarts of the scene produce tremendous, free coverage that me and many others in esports use and rely on, hell even love in places. Sure there are puff pieces and the odd advertorial, but in the main you can’t grumble with the quality of the coverage from live events and it’s free god damn!

With Cadred, owned by Heaven Media, it’s also a UK success story, promoting fantastic writers and love him or hate him run by Richard Lewis, a mess of a man at times, (I am sure he would admit) but possibly the greatest esports writer this country has ever produced and I don’t say this lightly.

So it was very disappointing to read not one, but two damning stories involving Cadred, Heaven Media, Multiplay and HLTV today.

Firstly, HLTV announced that they had not been able to secure press passes for the upcoming CS:GO tournament in Prague, run by Heaven Media, owners also of Inevitably this started a debate on HLTV that it was bias towards Cadred so they could report on the event exclusively. News flash people: Heaven Media want the maximum exposure from the event possible, regardless of which site produces it. The more the merrier.

That said, I thought it was ludicrous of Heaven Media (remember it’s NOT Cadred who haven’t issued the press pass) to not give HLTV a press pass. I called them too and was given an exasperated unofficial comment that “the venue was just too packed and we didn’t want to agree to them sending someone out and then find out there was no room for them”.

I even asked if this was political in any way, as expected the answer was “No, not at all, it’s just a space issue, I can’t even be sure our staff have enough room right now”.

While I have massive sympathy with HLTV and they do an amazing job, event after event, I don’t agree with posting what they did on the site, it’s really unprofessional, even if I do understand their frustration. According to HM though, there was no hint of this in talks and HLTV didn’t come back to negotiate (why would they you might argue) and discussions remained friendly. Perhaps too much is made of the rivalry between Cadred and HLTV and this is the result, but this is very much a Heaven Media decision and let’s remember they haven’t banned HLTV from attending, just said they have “no room”.

Neither side comes out looking particularly good though and it’s the readers who suffer.

The next story came out of Cadred, news that had been floating around for a while that all Heaven Media staff had been barred from attending Multiplay events. Now I have to admit, I was a little perplexed by this. Sure, I heard about the incident with Richard Lewis and others during i46 and felt the appropriate action was taken (based on the version of events I was told and had no reason to disbelieve), but banning the entire company from further events seems overly harsh based on the actions of one man.

Fine, omit Richard from the press list, but ban the entire company? Again, I wished in some ways I could help mediate between the sides, but it’s way too late for that now. I also wish we could all just get along, but rarely in business does that happen. It makes the recent ESL/DreamHack/MLG alliance even more astonishing.

I write this with a heavy heart and for a number of reasons. I’m good friends with people at Multiplay, Heaven Media and HLTV and I respect the hell out of all of them for what they have done and continue to do for esports, particularly in the UK but I can’t for the life of me understand why they don’t all understand they need each other in this tiny little niche industry. Sure, I’ve fallen out with all of them in the past too and (bar Craig and me being too stubborn for our own good) fixed them just as quickly.

We all have different ideas about how to make esports in the UK bigger and that’s fine, but do we really need to rip the scene apart by all this in-fighting?

It really is time we got our shit together in this country when it comes to esports and sat down, adults in a room and talked over the differences and came to (at least) an understanding. Start with date clashes and calendars and perhaps consistent game rules and bans and go on from there, it’s not as hard as people make out.

And for the love of mushrooms and daisy patterned trousers, please stop attacking each other in public :(

One final note. I was asked specifically to answer the question: Who’s fault is all of this?

I’m not going to blame any one party, there are some valid arguments on all sides. Yes it’s Multiplays event and they can have whoever they want there, but cutting off a decent traffic source and brand exposure isn’t the smartest idea I’ve ever seen and potentially turning a huge community of players who support that site isn’t clever either. Likewise, did Cadred really need to post the news piece? Perhaps, but it’s unnecessary in my opinion and just causes even further bad blood. Same with HLTV who I think were hard done by not getting a press pass, but would they have posted the same thing if they had been turned down for a local LAN that wasn’t being run by their CS coverage rivals owner?

Bottom line, no one comes out of this smelling of roses and ultimately it’s drama we could well do without in the UK scene right now.


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My brother John Doman composing music for the Shadow of the Bear with Francis Fast of Northern Rain StudiosChesterton Productions is our production company founded by my husband and me in 1999 to produce a radio drama of my first book, The Shadow of the Bear. The radio drama was co-produced with Northern Rain Studio and directed by me.  It was released in August 2005. The work of Chesterton Productions has mostly been in collaboration with Northern Rain. We provide scriptwriting services and occasionally casting and direction for Northern Rain Studios.

In partnership with Northern Rain Studio, I have directed the character of "Max" for their audio drama Enemy Brothers, 2003 (distributed by Bethlehem Books).

Also, I wrote the script for their audio drama, Perpetua's Choice, the first installment of the Christian History Project, released in 2005.

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    Actually Dad, Moose Tracks is one of Jack's faves- and it has peanut butter cups in it. Probably not your top choice! But Lobster Tracks is a safe bet for you- just caramel and chocolate "lobsters."

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Sunday, May 20, 2012

A Short Story of an Impatient Juvenile

When my laptop crashed last month, my network visibility narrowed. With limited time and internet access, I was visiting my stock market account just to see if my target price has been reached or my sell orders were already cancelled. Just to be sure that I won’t miss my target price, whenever there is a chance to go online I will cancel my current transactions and press the sell button again using GTC. However, the market has been bearish in the past couple of weeks. Just when I thought I was about to reach my first 100k mark in May or June. It’s like I’m asking for a miracle. But, who knows?

I have been in the stock market for 10 months already and it got me thinking. The market is low again, is investing in the stock market really worth it?

Just a little flashback. In July 14, 2011, I used PhP 6,000 (which I borrowed from my generous mother) to open an account with COL Financial (formerly Citiseconline). Four days later, I bought 10 stocks in Ayala Corporation (AC) and 100 stocks in Robinson’s Land Corporation (RLC). Did I really understand what I did? By tracing the chart of both AC and RLC, I was convinced that their market price was cheap at that time. As the saying goes ”Buy low Sell high. With that quote in mind and PSE’s price chart as my pillar, I believed that it was a sure way to make money only to realize that my knowledge about the stock market was so juvenile.

My investment continued to grow whenever there was extra cash until it came to a point that our household expenses were mounting. And so the stock market took the back seat. My initial plan to invest small amounts monthly eventually didn’t push through forcing me to use Plan B: Reinvest. From being a supposedly long-term investor I suddenly became a trader. For almost every single day, my attention was glued in studying the critical matters affecting the rise and fall of the market prices, how to interpret the different charts and a whole lot more. I would buy and sell stocks in a span of two trading days to two weeks. But I am such an impatient trader. My short thread of patience resulted to a bunch of regrets. There were many occasions that I entered the market with relatively low price and ended up gaining 2% or even lose money because I didn’t wait long enough. The next day or two, the market price skyrocketed missing a great opportunity to yield larger numerical figures. That happened to AAI (now BLOOM), ABS, AC, ALI, EDC, FOOD, LPZ, MEG, MPI, ORE, PSE and RCBC.

Since last year, I was experimenting to some extent. I was brave to test the water. In effect, I was gaining and losing money at the same time. Blame it to my impatience and bad entrance and exit. But as days passed by, I am becoming more cautious in choosing the stocks to buy and when to sell. At present, I have shares in six companies and my portfolio is completely red. Due to my inactiveness in the market lately, I wasn’t able to sell before the plunge. But no worries, I have learned my lesson in my numerous mistakes. For now I only have two options: (a) do nothing and (b) press the sell button with GTC as term and hope for a miracle that my target price will be hit in situation like this. Otherwise, to wait is absolutely a wise thing to do.

Hashtag: #Wishing upon a star.

P.S. I’m grateful that my cousin has a laptop. That’s why I’m back with a long blog post. :)

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Office furniture manufacturer KI has made a comprehensive effort to incorporate sustainable practices and policies into its manufacturing responsibilities. The company practices the following goals:

1) Eliminate solvent-based materials, replacing them with water-based or powder substitutes in all manufacturing facilities. This practice also reduces the need to use solvent-based cleaning materials.

2) Incorporate the largest percentage of recycled content into our products so that they can easily be recycled, disassembled and field repaired. KI searches for vendors and alternative materials that offer the largest recycled post-consumer and post-industrial content.

3) Reduce the use of packaging materials and find alternative methods to safely ship and receive products to and from suppliers, end-users and other manufacturing locations. Using reusable plastic totes, shrink-wrapping, blanket wrapping, and racking products has helped alleviate the amount of "box" materials used in the shipping process.

4) Conserve fuel and energy. KI selects new processes and equipment based on a detailed analysis of environmental considerations, capital and operating costs. Energy and fuel conservation is an integral part of this process.

Many of KI's facilities participate in a Wisconsin state program called Focus on Energy, which formalizes energy conservation goals, measurements and approaches. As part of this program, the facilities use energy-efficient lighting systems for offices and manufacturing areas. Automatic shut-off systems further conserve energy. Fuel conservation is addressed in the transportation of both raw materials and finished products as well as facility operations.


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Zemnoy poklon

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Poyasny ("little bow", literally belt bow) and zemnoy poklon ("great bow", literally ground bow) are different kinds of bows used in an Eastern Orthodox worship service.

File:Different kinds of bows in eo.gif

The different kinds of bows one could encounter at an Eastern Orthodox service are shown in the picture on the right. Only types 2, 5 and 6 have their own independent meaning and rules of usage; the other types are either "lightened" or "weighted" versions of these three "basic" versions. Strict rules exist as to which type of a bow should be used at any particular time. These rules are very complicated, and are not always carried out in most parishes. Old Believers are generally much more punctillious about bows in comparison with the official Orthodoxy.

  1. The first type is a 'head-only bow'. This type of bow does not have its own assigned usage, but can be used only instead of a 'belt-low bow' (2) in some situations, such as when one cannot make a lower bow since there are too many people in the church, or due to back problems. People also should keep standing in this position during reading of Gospels and some other important periods of the service.
  2. 'Belt-low bow' (поясной поклон) can also be called an 'ordinary bow', since it's the most widespread type of bow. Most bows during the Eastern Orthodox service are of this kind. However sometimes, for example, during the Lent, the bows became lower and 'earth-low bows' (5) should be used instead.
  3. 'Belt-low bow with touching earth by a hand'. This type of a bow could be treated in two ways: sometimes it's only the 'very thoroughly done type 2 bow'. Sometimes, on the other hand, it's a 'lightened' version of an 'earth-low bow' (5). For example, when Popovtsy Old Believers ask their priests for a blessing, they should, theoretically, perform a 'earth-low bow'. But since one could ask a priest for a blessing during an occasional meeting on a street, where it is rather uncomfortable to make a full 'earth-low bow', usually one only touches the earth with one's right hand (usually the back side of a hand).
  4. Metanoia (метание , 'metanie) is also a 'lightened' version of a 'earth-low bow' that is used in Old Believers services sometimes.[dubious ]
  5. Zemnoy poklon (земной поклон, full earth-low bow) is a special type of bow which is especially important for Old Believers.
  6. Prostration is used only during the service of imposition of holy orders.

It is also important to note that traditionally, the Eastern Orthodox service has no kneeling in the Western sense of standing on one's knees, but nowadays many churches of mainstream Eastern Orthodoxy have begun to use pews and kneelers, and thus have begun kneeling in some parts of the service. This is a custom borrowed from Roman Catholics. Traditional Orthodox and Old Believers reject kneeling and keep themselves in the zemnoy poklon (5) position during these parts of the service.

Orthodox tradition specifes that the faithful are not to prostrate themselves in prayer from Pascha (Easter) until Pentecost, or on any Sundays throughout the year. There is some variation in interpretation of this tradition. Old Believers tend to limit the prohibition to only those portions of worship which are specifically "prayer"; whereas mainstream Orthodox do not prostrate themselves at all on these days (with certain exceptions, such as when the Exaltation of the Cross falls on a Sunday).

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Psalm 109 Imprecatory Prayer Case to Go Forward in Texas

By Chris Rodda, Talk To Action

For the past year and a half or so, droves of right wing Christian websites have been selling a variety of “Pray for Obama” items — t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats, and even teddy bears — all sporting the slogan “Pray for Obama” followed by the Bible verse reference “Psalm 109:8.”

Psalm 109 is what’s known as an imprecatory prayer — a prayer to invoke evil, misfortune, or physical harm upon someone. The words of Psalm 109:8 are: “Let his days be few; and let another take his office.” The next line is “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.”

As Frank Shaeffer, appearing on Rachel Maddow back in November 2009 when this “Pray for Obama” merchandise was first becoming popular, explained: “[T]here is a crazy fringe to whom all these little messages that have been pouring out of Fox News, now on a bumper sticker, talking about doing away with Obama, asking God to kill him. Really, this is trolling for assassins.”

In an effort to determine “if the design was simply intended to be criticism of the President or something much worse,” CafePress posted an online poll, and found that: “General consensus has proven that the design does point to a broader interpretation of the Psalm and thus has been deemed inappropriate for sale at CafePress.” also banned the slogan, issuing a statement saying they had “determined that these products, in the context of the full text of Psalm 109, may be interpreted in such a way as to suggest physical harm to the President of the United States.” But the banning of the slogan by mainstream websites like CafePress and Zazzle hasn’t slowed the sale of ‘Obama Prayer’ merchandise on right wing Christian websites or the slogan’s popularity.

In January, a Florida sheriff’s deputy was suspended for placing a note with “The Obama Prayer” in a coworker’s Bible last September. According to ABC News:

When Sergeant Martha Nash reported for duty at the Manatee County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 29, she said she found her copy of the New Testament lying on the desk with a peculiar note sticking out from inside.‘The Obama Prayer,’ it read, in an unrecognizable, handwritten scrawl.

But when Nash looked to the relevant passage, circled with a pink highlighter, she said she was shocked by what it said. The text seemed to suggest that whoever left it wanted President Obama dead.

Sgt. Matthew Neu, who was known to oppose Obama politically, told investigators he received an e-mail referencing a bumper sticker with Psalm 109 and the “Obama prayer,” then left the Bible and note on Nash’s desk.

Almost six months before it surfaced that the right wing Christians were promoting Psalm 109 as a prayer for Obama, this same imprecatory prayer was publicly issued by disgraced former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenshmitt against Mikey Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), and Barry Lynn, the head of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU). Both MRFF and AU had been contacted by numerous people about Klingenschmitt’s use of the Navy uniform and title of Chaplain on his political website, To address the issue, MRFF and AU wrote a joint letter to the Chief of Naval Operations requesting an investigation of Klingenschmit’ts use of his image in uniform to solicit funds for political causes.

In response, Klingenschmitt emailed the following prayer to his surprisingly large mailing list, and also posted it on his website and on YouTube:

Saturday 25 Apr 09 One-Minute Prayer:  Imprecatory Prayers Against Anti-Jesus Barry Lynn and Mikey Weinstein

Let us pray. Almighty God, today we pray imprecatory prayers from Psalm 109 against the enemies of religious liberty, including Barry Lynn and Mikey Weinstein, who issued press releases this week attacking me personally. God, do not remain silent, for wicked men surround us and tell lies about us. We bless them, but they curse us. Therefore find them guilty, not me. Let their days be few, and replace them with Godly people. Plunder their fields, and seize their assets. Cut off their descendants, and remember their sins, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Klingenschmitt also posted a very strange disclaimer on his website, in which he defended his right to call himself “Chaplain,” stating that he had a current endorsement as a “Chaplain and Evangelist to America” from the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches (CFGC). It was this statement that led MRFF to take a closer look at the CFGC, a chaplain endorsing agency founded by retired Army colonel and chaplain Jim Ammerman, and authorized by the Department of Defense to provide the ecclesiastical endorsement required by the military for all military chaplains, with several hundred of its chaplains currently serving in all branches of the military.

It didn’t take long to find out that Jim Ammerman was a dangerous conspiracy theorist with a long record of making statements to foment anti-government sentiment and incite violence as a speaker for the Topeka, Kansas based Prophecy Club, an organization that promotes a plethora of conspiracy theories against the U.S. government — everything from 9-11 being a government conspiracy to the United States being in imminent danger of being placed under the control of U.N. forces to the entire U.S. government being an illegal government founded by the Illuminati and satanists. In fact, way back in 1997 a three-star general had called for an investigation of Ammerman and CFGC with a memorandum including nine pages of excerpts from Ammerman’s radio appearances and his Prophecy Club video, “Imminent Military Takeover of the U.S.A.,” a video being circulated among militia groups at the time.

Ammerman’s statements included everything from saying that Bill Clinton (president at the time the video was released) should have been executed to inciting the militia types by making claims that his chaplains were reporting back to him that they had inside information that the U.S. military was preparing to attack U.S. cities, and claiming inside information from other sources indicating an imminent threat of the United States being placed under martial law.

Ammerman’s more recent statements include a “suggestion” in his September 2008 CFGC newsletter that the four democratic senators who were then candidates for president — Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, and, of course, Barack Obama — should be arrested and executed for voting against making English the official language of the United States. He has also advocated armed violence against law enforcement officials.

Ammerman has also allegedly slandered Mikey Weinstein and his family.  In one speech, describing a meeting he had had with a U.S. senator during which the senator asked him how the chaplains praying in Jesus’ name controversy got started, Ammerman claimed that Weinstein became a “madman” because one of his sons, both of whom are Air Force Academy graduates, “got saved” at the Academy. (Ammerman’s claim about Weinstein’s son is completely untrue, as is his claim that Weinstein is a multi-millionaire who’s getting other Jews to give him money).

He [the senator] said, ‘this big question about the name of Jesus, where did it start?’ And I said, ‘In the Air Force — the Air Force Academy, in fact, by a Jew who had two boys there. He was a graduate from there and became a lawyer — a real estate lawyer — and he’s a multi-millionaire and he’s getting other Jews to give him money to stamp out the name of Jesus throughout this nation. But, one of his two Jewish sons got saved up there and he’s been a madman ever since. He should come — and I pray God will enlighten him and say your son’s not on the road to hell any longer, and if I get a chance to meet him, I will say, ‘Do you know how happy you ought to be. One of your sons is on the road to heaven.’ Now, he might slug me because he’d turned into a madman at that point, but I’ll take a lick for Jesus. In fact, if he broke my neck and I died, I’d be in the instant presence of Christ, and I’m sure Jesus would have a little smile on his lips when I reported in.

In September 2009, Mikey Weinstein and his wife Bonnie filed a lawsuit against Gordon Klingenschmitt, Jim Ammerman, and the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches. This is not a MRFF lawsuit, but a suit brought by the Weinsteins personally.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction restraining the defendants from “making further terroristic threats” or “encouraging, soliciting, directing, abetting, or attempting to induce others to engage in similar conduct or to harm Plaintiffs or their family.” In other words, the Weinsteins, who have already been subjected to numerous death threats and attacks on their home, want the court to stop Gordon Klingenschmitt from “trolling for assassins,” as Frank Shaeffer described it when talking about the danger of disseminating imprecatory prayers against an “enemy” to an audience that could include any number of unstable individuals who might take these prayers literally and act on them, thinking they’re doing God’s work.

The Weinsteins’ lawsuit was filed in Dallas County, Texas because this is where Jim Ammerman resides, and where the CFGC, Klingenschmitt’s chaplain endorsing agency, is located.

Klingenschmitt, a resident of Colorado, answered by filing a “special appearance” (a hearing to dispute the jurisdiction of one state’s court over a defendant from another state) in the Dallas County court. Klingenschmitt also filed a motion to dismiss the case. The Dallas County court found that, under Texas court rules, by filing this motion to dismiss the case on its merits, Klingenschmitt had already entered a “general appearance,” thereby waiving his “special appearance.” So, Klingenshmitt’s “special appearance” was denied. Klingenschmitt appealed this decision.

On Friday, March 18, the Court of Appeals, Fifth District of Texas at Dallas, upheld the Dallas County court’s decision, agreeing that: “In addition to its finding of fact that Klingenschmitt has extensive and systematic contacts with Texas and its conclusion of law that Klingenschmitt has continuous and systematic contacts with Texas, the trial court concluded that Klingenschmitt’s motion to dismiss and motion for reconsideration of the motion to dismiss sought dismissal of the Weinsteins’ claims on the merits and that Klingenschmitt waived his special appearance.”

Barring any further attempts to throw up procedural roadblocks, Friday’s ruling by the Court of Appeals means that the lawsuit against Gordon Klingenschmitt, Jim Ammerman, and the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches will move forward in the Dallas court, and it will now be up to jury to decide if recklessly issuing imprecatory prayers against an individual or individuals, whether it’s a private citizen like Mikey Weinstein or the President of the United States, is a potential incitement to violence or protected free speech.

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Tour of OneDep Deposition System

Table of Contents

We welcome your feedback on the OneDep Deposition system and on this tutorial. Please let us know if the instructions need clarification or if you have encountered a problem during deposition at

Video Tutorials

X-ray Deposition: file upload, validation, and provide mandatory information

Ligand Deposition: Review and confirm suggested matches to your ligand

Ligand Deposition: How to provide mandatory chemical information

Tutorial: Using the wwPDB OneDep System

For Coordinate Deposition:

  1. The top-level deposition page at has two functions: the left panel is used to log into the system using a deposition ID and password, and the main panel on the right can be used to start a new deposition. When starting a new deposition, it is important that the depositor's country of origin be present in order for the best support to be provided. After the form has been filled out and "Start Deposition" has been selected, a Deposition ID and password (depositors have the option to create their own or let the system create one) will be sent to the depositor via e-mail.
  2. The Deposition ID and password can be used to log in to the deposition system using the left-hand panel. The Deposition ID is displayed at the top of the page upon login. Once inside the deposition system, select the "File upload" option from the left-hand navigation panel to upload coordinate and structure factor files (for X-ray structures). Once the files have been uploaded, select the corresponding file types from the drop down menus.
  3. After file upload has been initiated, initial validation calculations begin. The depositor will receive an e-mail notification when validation has completed. Once validation is complete, validation reports are available for review under "Validation Reports" at the bottom of the navigation panel.
  4. It is strongly recommended that you review the "Upload Summary" page carefully as it indicates which data have been uploaded and interpreted correctly.
  5. Use the left-hand navigation panel to move among the different data entry pages.
    1. Yellow icons indicate folders that contain related data entry pages. Clicking on the icon will open and close the folder.
    2. Red exclamation icons represent pages that require the input of mandatory data. These mandatory items will appear in red. It is recommended that you also complete as many non-mandatory fields as possible.
    3. Green check marks indicate that all mandatory data items on a page have been entered.
    4. Data can be reviewed and edited on each individual entry page.
    5. A data field with a red box and warning text must be corrected before submission.
    6. A data field with a yellow box and warning text indicates an unusual value has been entered and should be checked.
  6. As you enter data, the list of minimum mandatory items required for submission is automatically checked by the system. In the left-hand navigation panel, two bars indicate the percentage of completeness of the deposition:
    1. The Submit button is shaded by the percentage of mandatory data items submitted. Clicking on this bar will provide a list of the missing mandatory items. The entry can be submitted when the button is completely green.
    2. The Data Supplied button is shaded by the percentage of all possible data items that have been provided.
  7. To review sequence information, select a molecule page from the "Macromolecules" folder. This page contains summary information about the macromolecule source and reports the results of a sequence consistency check between the author-provided sample sequence and the coordinate sequence. If there is a discrepancy, the depositor must provide either a corrected sample sequence or a new coordinate file that corrects the discrepancy.
  8. To review ligand information, select the "Ligands" page from the left-hand navigation panel. This page reports on the comparison of ligands in the uploaded coordinate file against the Chemical Component Dictionary (CCD). No further action is needed when an exact match is found. If there is a close match, the possible matches found by the system must be reviewed. If there is no match in the CCD, or if there is a chemical difference between the target and the closest match, the depositor is required to either (a) provide the three-letter code of an alternative ligand present in the CCD, (b) provide a SMILES or InChI string for the ligand, or (c) upload a chemical diagram of the ligand. There is an additional option to upload a refinement monomer library file.
  9. Coordinate and experimental data files can be replaced at any time prior to submission using the "Replacement Upload" page available from the navigation panel.
  10. The "Communication" page available from the navigation panel should be used for all correspondence with the wwPDB. This page will store all messages related to the deposition.
  11. Prior to submission, depositors must agree to the Terms and Conditions listed on the "Summary & conditions" page.
  12. Depositors are also asked to review the initial validation report available on the "Validation Reports" page and indicate their acceptance.
  13. Once all mandatory items have been captured (all pages show green check marks on the navigation menu) the "Submit deposition" button in the top left corner will become completely green to indicate that the entry can be submitted.
  14. Processed files and validation reports send by PDB biocuration staff will be available for download and review at the "Communication" page.

For NMR-specific Depositions:

Deposition start page

At the start of deposition, the depositor will be asked to provide information about the experimental methods employed to determine the structure.

For an NMR deposition that includes a coordinate file, select "Solution NMR" or "Solid-state NMR" as the Experimental Method. Once "Solution NMR" or "Solid-state NMR" has been selected as the Experimental Method, the PDB and BMRB checkboxes will automatically be checked for the requested accession codes. Press the "Start deposition" button to initiate a deposition session.

For an NMR deposition that does not include a coordinate file, select "Solution NMR" or "Solid-state NMR" as the Experimental Method and deselect PDB as a requested accession code. Once BMRB is the only requested accession code, the "Deposit NMR data at BMRB" and "Deposit NMR data at PDBj-BMRB" buttons will appear at the bottom of the screen. The depositor should click the appropriate link to be re-directed to the BMRB deposition start page. Please note that if you make a BMRB-only deposition, later deposition of associated coordinates will require that an additional, new PDB-only deposition be made.

File upload requirements

Upload of these files is mandatory:

  • Coordinates
  • Restraints
  • Chemical shifts

Depositors are encouraged to also upload the following files:

  • Peak lists

File upload checks for NMR depositions

During file upload, the following checks are performed:

  1. Consistency checks are performed on the coordinate file to make sure each model has the same chemistry (identical atoms).
  2. Chemical shift value checks are performed on the chemical shift file.
  3. Atom nomenclature checks are performed on the chemical shift and coordinate files.

If there are any warnings or errors generated by these checks, they will be reported as follows:

Warning messages: Warning encountered upon file upload will be presented in the "File format validation for model coordinates and data files" window. For NMR entries, warning messages provide information about chemical shift values outside of acceptable ranges. Warning messages are provided for depositors to review and either verify or correct as appropriate.

Error messages: Errors encountered upon file upload will be presented in two places: (1) on the diagnostic screen (headed by a graphic of red gears) that appears after the "Populate" or "Repopulate" button on the "File upload" page has been pressed, and (2) on the "Upload Summary" page of the deposition interface. For NMR entries, error messages highlight atom nomenclature issues that must be corrected. If an error is present, new coordinate and/or chemical shift files must be uploaded before the deposition can be completed.

Entering NMR Data into the deposition interface

For NMR depositions, it is best to enter information starting from the top of the left-hand navigation panel and working downward sequentially, page by page, as some values on later pages (lower on the navigation panel) are dependent upon information entered on earlier pages (higher on the navigation panel).

In particular, the chemical shift connection page cannot be completed until after mandatory data items in the NMR experimental section and NMR software section have been completed. The chemical shift connection page links data used to assign the chemical shifts with information contained in other NMR sections, i.e., chemical shift files names, chemical shift references, NMR samples, sample conditions, NMR experiments, and software.

In addition, the spectral peak list section becomes mandatory when NMR peak list files are uploaded.

For Electron Microscopy Volume Map Depositions:

File upload requirements

Upload of the following files is mandatory:

  1. Primary map (.mrc or .ccp4 format, may use gzip or bzip2 compression) along with voxel size and recommended contour level
  2. Image of the map (500 x 500 pixels in .jpg, .png, etc. format)
Upload of these additional files is encouraged by EMDB:
  1. Half maps (as used for FSC calculation; two maps must be uploaded)
  2. Additional maps
  3. FSC curves
  4. Layer line data
All of these files are made publicly available upon release of the EMDB entry.

Macromolecules page for EMDB map-only deposition

Depositors may provide sample sequence information along with appropriate UniProt and/or GenBank references. For a map-only deposition (no coordinates provided), sequence information is optional.

Sample information for an Electron Microscopy experiment

Information about the sample used in an electron microscopy experiment and about its source(s) is collected in a hierarchical fashion. An example is provided below:

  1. Overall sample description: ribosome
    1. subcomponent: 50S large ribosomal subunit
      1. subcomponent: 5S rRNA
      2. subcomponent: 23S rRNA
      3. subcomponent: SeC6
      4. subcomponent: 50S ribosomal protein L4
    2. subcomponent: 30S small ribosomal subunit
      1. subcomponent: 16S rRNA
      2. subcomponent: eIF2
      3. subcomponent: 30S ribosomal protein S1
      4. subcomponent: 30S ribosomal protein S2

NOTE: Subcomponents can be added and/or deleted as necessary, but deletion of a subcomponent will result in deletion of all child subcomponents (e.g., deletion of b. from the example above will also delete i., ii., iii., and iv.).

Experimental information

There are five sections in the "EM experiment" folder in the deposition interface. Within each of these sections are data items that link to other experimental sections as well as to back to the overall sample description and its subcomponents (see previous section). As such, it is recommended that the overall sample description and any necessary subcomponents be completed prior to the entry of experimental information into the "EM experiment" section. In addition, it is also recommended that the experimental sections be completed sequentially from the top down.

Details regarding each subsection follow. Please note that there are mandatory items in most of the experimental sections that must be filled in before the deposition can be finalized and submitted.

  1. Specimen preparation. This section comprises information regarding sample vitrification, staining, embedding, and shadowing, as well as details about the sample grid and its pretreatment, film support, and crystal formation (where applicable).
  2. Microscopy. This section comprises comprehensive information regarding the microscope(s) used for data collection, including electron source, specimen holder, energy filters, etc., as well as the microscope settings and other parameters used for each imaging session (magnification, defocus, alignment procedure, etc.). Multiple imaging sessions can be included within the deposition interface by clicking the "+" button at the bottom of the "Microscopy" page.
  3. Image recording. This section comprises information about the detector(s) or other device(s) used for image recording, including the both the physical properties of the detector and the manner in which the images were collected, e.g., data handling during and directly after capture, number of images, rate of movie frame collection, etc. As in the "Microscopy" section, the "+" can be used if multiple detectors were used for image recording.
  4. Reconstruction. This section comprises the details of the method or methods used to generate three-dimensional map(s) from two dimensional images, including particle selection, classification, alignment, angular assignment, and reconstruction. Information about multiple reconstructions can be included.
  5. Fitting interpretation. This section is for information about the fitting of pre-existing atomic coordinates and/or ab initio models to the map, if applicable. Multiple fitting instances can be added (by clicking the "+" button at the bottom of the page) and each instance can accommodate multiple starting models if necessary. Additional details that can be provided include software and settings for any model building, fitting, and/or refinement that was used to generate the final model.


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Friday, October 23, 2015

From White to Bright with Chairish

I'm teaming up with again to create another style board, using a few of the great pieces that are currently available on their site. If you would like to read about Chairish and view my previous style board, you can find it here: Discovering Chairish.

This time, I was asked to create a design scheme based on an accent chair (see selection here), and to take a room from white to bright. My inspiration began with these Bergere chairs, because a bright pop of orange can be so playful! The French styling is very transitional, in my opinion, and is mixable with many other styles.

I next selected the Peacock Garden painting with its orange tie-in to the chairs and gorgeous teals and blues. (Orange and blue are complementary colors on the color wheel, so this makes for a nice balance.) From there, I went "shopping" to build my virtual room. I envision these pieces in a space with moody paint (deep blue?) and rich woods. The dramatic black sideboard is one of my signatures...if you read my blog, you know how important I consider black in design. The Turkish rug is an overdyed beauty which incorporates the teal color in a luxurious, textural way.

Making a statement with Asian influence is the lotus brass chandelier and ornate mirror. For accessories, I found a contemporary figure drawing (to keep the scheme from feeling too heavily-traditional) and a brass mask to echo the faces in the drawing. The lamp is lucite, which provides a visually lightweight, sleek feel with a black shade, which relates to the sideboard. Pillows, vibrant coral, and a Chinese ceramic blue and white planter complete the look. If I were designing this room in "real life", I'd add some beautiful books and fresh flowers, pulling tones from the artwork (think orange, magenta, plum....)

The possibilities for creating stunning rooms are endless with Chairish's extensive and ever-changing inventory of furniture, décor, lighting, and rugs. They made a customer out of me after I created the Discovering Chairish inspiration board. If you've never visited, I encourage you to head over there. Hundreds of treasures are awaiting you!

Thank you, Chairish, for allowing me to create and share some design inspiration once again :)

Sharing with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Dwellings the Heart of Your Home, Cozy Little House, Ivy and Elephants, Share Your Cup, Shabby Art Boutique

Saturday, October 17, 2015

October Meditations

For this month's "Meditations" I am sharing photos that I took at Sunken Gardens in my city of Lincoln, NE, and some inspirational quotes.

Sunken Gardens was developed in 1930 on a landfill site. Men were given jobs to be able to support their families during the Depression. Originally, the design of the gardens was based on mountain scenery from England and incorporated mostly rocked terraces.

In 2004, a major renovation took place. Trees, shrubs, ponds, sprinklers, and a parking lot were added; and later a pavilion and restrooms were installed. Now, employees of the City Parks and Recreation department, along with dozens of volunteers, plant as many as 30,000 annuals using a different theme each year. Sunken Gardens is a popular place for weddings and photo shoots. We are fortunate to have this little gem in our city.

"Mother Nature has the best box of crayons." --Unknown

"Nature's beautiful dancers - flowers, water, leaves
Dancing to the music of God's sweet breeze."
--Terri Guillemets

"Sometimes you just need a a beautiful place... figure everything out." --Unkown

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sharing with: Pieced Pastimes, Share It One More Time, Natasha in Oz, Between Naps on the Porch, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru Life, Dwellings the Heart of Your Home, The Dedicated House, Ivy and Elephants, Share Your Cup, A Delightsome Life, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique

Monday, October 12, 2015

Elevate the Look: Desk Chair

This wooden folding chair was cast off and unloved when I found it on sale at an antique shop for $9. It works well with our clean-lined black desk and just needed a little TLC.

I started with some metallic gold paint on the seat, and after taping that off I spray painted the rest of the chair black. When the tape was removed, however, some of the gold came with it. I wasn't sure if the distressed look was good...or not so great.

While tossing that around in my head, I knew that leaving the entire seat gold was going to be too much bling, though. So I needed to decide between black, or ivory to tie in with the cabinets and trim in the room. (I had also considered a pop of aqua or persimmon, but that would have required my incorporating more color into the space, and at this point I don't have the mental energy to go there, haha.) In the end, ivory was the clear would have looked too "checkerboard", I think.

My husband ended up liking the look of the distressed gold, so I left that alone. Truth be told, I have a habit of rotating things in, out, and through this house often, so it probably isn't worth stressing too much over a $9 chair and a little paint ;) It does look better than it did before, so that's a thumbs up in my book.

Sharing with: Between Naps on the Porch, Dwellings the Heart of Your Home, The Dedicated House, Cozy Little House, A Stroll Thru Life, A Delightsome Life, I Gotta Create, Ivy and Elephants, Houseologie, French Country Cottage, Shabby Art Boutique, My Thrift Store Addiction


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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Life is full of little ironies isn't it?

I make the decision to set one of my best friends up with my uncle. To all intents & purposes the plan is a success. They are officially dating now. I should be happy for them & I am. Except that:

1) If he's her boyfriend does this mean that I have to see him everytime I see her? Because that's kind of uncomfortable for me. He & I are close in age & kind of good friends but he's still my uncle. There are things that I can't say or do with him around. I love my family but I really don't want to go clubbing with my uncle. It's not the sort of thing you do with an uncle around. It's just too weird.

2) She knows everything about me. And there are things I would just die if she tells him. Can I trust her not to tell him?I mean do couples ever really keep things from each other?

3) She gives me too much information. There are comments that I don't usually mind hearing from a gf about her partner - but not when the partner is my uncle. That's embarrassing. It grosses me out for some reason.

4) Despite all attempts to the contrary I find myself more involved in the details of their relationship than I want to be. She keeps coming to me with issues & questions. She & her mother keep trying to pump me for information. Information like how like or unlike his ex-wife I think she is. That's not a question I want to deal with.

Labels: ,

Blogger Nerro said...

That's a tough one ya Loul :D
Setting up is cool and all, but I am the type of person who would avoid such things with friends..but a family member involved!!!

4/19/2006 05:00:00 AM
Blogger The Sandmonkey said...

you dug urself in a hole kiddo. Break them up. It's the only way to keep ur sanity!

4/19/2006 06:15:00 AM
Blogger Jane said...

I don't think it would be out of line to have a conversation with your friend explaining that 1. there are certain things you would like to remain private and that you would feel VERY uncomfortable if she discussed them with your uncle and 2. that although you are pleased that they hit it off that you feel a bit weird getting too much information about their relationship, as he is your uncle. If she really is your friend she will definately understand your need to have some boundaries with this one. Good luck!

4/19/2006 03:25:00 PM
Blogger Leilouta said...

You better stop seing the both of them :)

4/19/2006 11:47:00 PM

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Skylux SH42  24V 40W E11 Black Umbrella Lamp
M-01088 24V 40W E11 Black Umbrella Lamp

Hikari $16.50 Each

Box of 10 $150.00

Lamps ordered will be shipped the next day by USPS Priority Mail or UPS. Large orders may qualify for a discount and may not qualify for next day shipment. If you do not know what lamp you require or for lamps not listed, email your request or call 336-882-2854. To order, please use our secure shopping cart above or call 336-882-2852 or 800-692-3051. Click to go to our Home Page, View Cart and to find Shipping Information.

Wattage: 40W, 40 Watt, 40 Watts
Voltage: 24V, 24 Volt, 24 Volts
Base: E11 Black Umbrella
Average Life: 1000 Hours
Filament: CC-6
Lumens: 800
Gas: Halogen
Maximum Overall Length MOL: 57mm/2.24"
Maximum Overall Diameter MOD: 25mm/.98"

Alternate Part Numbers: JC 24V 40W E11 Black Umbrella, A101028, 6701/2

Equipment that uses this lamp:

Surgical Light

Cross reference information is designed to help you find the correct lamp for your application. We do not verify the accuracy of this information. You are responsible for ordering the correct lamp and we make every attempt to help you in that process. We recommend that you confirm the information with the equipment manufacturer before ordering.
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International Orders: Large international orders that require special shipping arrangements and quotes

If you have compliments, complaints, suggestions, or help with areas not listed above please contact:

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Resident Evil Wiki

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Chagall Storage Bed
ChagallChagallChagall Storage Bed

Featuring a quilted leather headboard, the Chagall can be opened to reveal a built-in storage compartment within the base of the bed itself. The bed can also be customized to feature a round leather side table that attaches to the side of the headboard. Available as a King or Queen sized bed and in a variety of fabrics and leathers. CR15

Lead time: 16-20 weeks

Pricing: Everything is made to order. Call for pricing, or click here to request a quote.

Origin: Made in Italy

Product Dimensions: Click here pdf presentation

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Seminaries Build Capacity To Strengthen Congregational Ministry

What are seminaries doing to prepare leaders for congregational ministry? Kathleen Cahalan discusses the findings of a grant program that has asked just that question of 45 institutions from Roman Catholic, Evangelical, mainline Protestant, independent or peace church traditions. Her reflections reveal distinctive differences as well as significant points of shared experience, programs and perspectives among these schools.


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What are the biggest new trends in the DRTV industry? How are TV and offline media are converging? Take a look at our infographic and see what are the possible trends in the direct response TV advertising industry.

5 biggest DRTV Trends

Read more detailed view on the trends from our blogpost here.

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Tuesday, 23 August 2011

of Ministry Tools, Community and Dinner Guests

On my recent blog post What If We Did Church Differently Than We Do Now? an anonymous commentator said, "Our pastor talks about these same things but gives us no tools to take Jesus out of a building and into our homes and our neighbor's homes and our community."

I was thinking about that a bit. Are people really not being equipped to "take Jesus out of a building and into our homes and our neighbor's homes and our community?" Can that be possible? Then, practically as quickly as I asked myself that question, it occurred to me that we may be looking at this question all wrong.

Institutional Christianity has for years taught us that they are "equipping" us for ministry. Unfortunately, the ministry they're equipping their parishioners for is ministry "within" their institution. While that ministry may have elements outside the building, it is inevitably tied to the building and will never receive clergy support apart from its tie to the institutional church. More often than not, ministry outside the church in such cases is normally considered a ministry of that particular church and not independent of it.

So having said that, my commentator is quite right in suggesting that his/her pastor does not give him or her the necessary tools to "take Jesus out of a building and into our homes and our neighbor's homes and our community." Forgive me if this sounds critical, but from an institutional perspective, as well as from my own personal experience, giving such tools relinquishes the pastor's control of the believer. Ouch. If the pastor were to give such tools, then perhaps the parishioner might even realize that he or she really no longer needs the attachment to that institutional church but is free to come or go as the Spirit leads, not as the pastor leads. Perhaps, dare I even say, he or she might even become liberated like many others today who have left institutional Christianity for the simple and organic church experience. This really must unnerve many an institutional church leader as they see many leaving their churches, not because they no longer believe, but rather as someone has said, "to preserve their faith." How ironic.

But I've digressed . The truth of the matter is, I believe, that the ministry tools that we're talking about cannot rightly even be dispensed by the pastor. Before you call me a heretic, let's ask ourselves a question: what are these ministry tools? I would argue that they are rightly called the "gifts of the Holy Spirit" and we all have an important part to play with our particular gift (see: Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 14:26).  Anything else that someone might want to sell us as ministry tools is counterfeit, unnecessary and maybe even of the devil himself.

If you and I are born again sons and daughters of God, if we are real Christians (as opposed to what I've often called pseudo-Christians), if we have made the commitment to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, then we already have all the tools that we will ever need to "take Jesus out of a building and into our homes and our neighbor's homes and our community." There is but one "tool" that any of us need, and that is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The one day old born again believer has the same ability to "take Jesus out of a building and into our homes and our neighbor's homes and our community" as does the seminary trained biblical scholar. In some ways, perhaps even more so in that the passion and fire of the new believer's faith is still alive and well, as opposed to the unfortunate lethargy that often comes from a long time stale Christian.

Jesus had an interesting thing to say to a man by the name of Nicodemus. Jesus said, "You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:7-8; NIV). Nicodemus was a religious leader who had trouble understanding this. It is interesting that many religious leaders today seem to have the same difficulty with this teaching of Jesus as Nicodemus had.

I like to think that genuinely born again Christians will never be tied to a particular place, be that a place of worship or any other place. Just as the wind doesn't stay put in one place, why would a Christian be content to do so? Just as water left standing in a pond or cistern can quickly become stale, so would a Christian left standing in one place also quickly become stale. On the other hand, water running in a river is alive and healthy just like a Christian on the move is also healthy.

Back to our ministry tools. If the Spirit in you moves you or places a burden on you for someone or something, then that is all the "tool" you will need. Listen to the Holy Spirit within you. We may not know where He comes from or where He will lead us next, but wherever it is, GO with Him. The Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) calls on us to GO, not simply to COME to some church building.

If Sunday morning comes along and you sense the Spirit leading you to such and such institutional church, then you had better obey and GO. If the Spirit leads you instead to a nursing home to sit for a while with a dear old lady, then you had better obey and GO. Perhaps the Spirit may lead you instead to some park because He has arranged to have you cross paths with someone else who really needs a blessing from God, and that blessing is you. In that case, you had better obey and GO. "So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Are you a genuinely born again Christian, filled with the Spirit of God? If so, you need no special tools or equipping; you're already fully qualified. GO, "take Jesus out of a building and into our homes and our neighbor's homes and our community." What are you waiting for? When asked what was the Greatest Commandment, Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22: 37-40; NIV). Do you know how to love? Have you ever loved your child, your spouse, your parents? Have you ever loved a dear friend? If so, you need no special tools or equipping; you're already fully qualified. GO.

As an aside, there is an interesting thing about that previous verse. Jesus said, "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." What are the Law and the Prophets? I believe that it represents everything that has ever been said about God, everything that is being said about God, and everything that ever will be said about God. It represents all of our doctrines and teachings; everything. All that hangs on love; first toward God, and second towards everyone else.

Still don't know where to start? Might I make a suggestion? Start with a meal. Invite someone you don't know very well to your table. Preferably, make it someone who really cannot repay you with a return invitation. Bless them with a meal.

When you look through the Gospels, where do we often see Jesus? We see Him around a table "communing" with people. This was the real and original Lord's Supper (or Communion or Eucharist) as opposed to that wafer cracker and thimble of juice we've turned it into. Jesus was known for eating with people. The religious folks often criticized Him for doing so, but they didn't understand the Greatest Commandment any more than many religious folks today also don't really understand it.

What else happens when you share a meal with someone? Real fellowship happens. You get to know people in a way that simply isn't possible in a church building where your "fellowship" is confined to a few moments of chit-chat about the weather. Even when we were still in the institutional church, we almost always put a pot roast in the oven on a timer before church and very regularly invited strangers home after service for a meal. That was awesome! We got to know people; they got to know us. Perhaps most importantly, they went home knowing that someone truly cared about them and that they made new friends that day. I wonder how many new friends Jesus made while eating in someone else's home? Hmm.

This doesn't require any special ministry tools. It only requires that we try and look at others through the eyes of Jesus. You and I are now His eyes. Do you see the ministry opportunities around you? They're everywhere. GO and "take Jesus out of a building and into our homes and our neighbor's homes and our community." Where is the wind of the Spirit leading you next? Learn to listen for His leading and then GO.

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40). Special tools? No, just a heart filled by the Holy Spirit with the love of God for others. That is ministry that counts. GO.

  1. "What do the first to letters of the word GOD spell? What do the first two letters of the word SATAN spell?"
    -- Mike Warnke

  2. Thanks much, lead on Holy Spirit, lead on! But...now I wonder about my kids. It's easy in a traditional setting to throw them in and say,"find God" and don't get me wrong I try to show them God every day- I see God in them but how do I bring my children with me on this untraditional journey? Is it as easy as finding my tools within me? And what about the 8 other people in our small congregation, how do I bring them along?

  3. Waldo, if I said "Go" and "Stay," would I win the prize? ;)

  4. Dear Janet,

    First let me say that, unless you clearly sense the Holy Spirit telling you to leave the “8 other people in our small congregation,” I would advise NOT leaving simply for the sake of leaving. No one can hear the Holy Spirit for you on matters such as this but you alone. For all of us, faith must be and has always been a personal walk. What God instructs one person to do, He does not necessarily tell the next person to do. It may in fact be that you are exactly where God wants you to be at the moment. He may one day call you out of that place, and if He does, it’s best to cross that bridge when you come to it. Crossing the river before you get to the bridge only makes you all wet, and may even lead to drowning.

    As for the children, contrary to what many institutional churches teach, their spiritual upbringing has always been the responsibility of their parents, not the local church. Nowhere in the Bible do we read of things such as Sunday School programs or Youth Pastors or Children’s Ministries. Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting dumping all those things either; they are simply tools of the local church. If they are available in such a small congregation, then by all means use them. However, if they are not there, or if God were to call you away from there, all is not lost as raising them has always been your responsibility and that of your husband’s anyways. It may be that, were the little church to close one day, a weekly trip into the nearest larger town for a youth program and for fellowship for the children might also be an option, but again, the main responsibility is yours and not that of a local institutional church.

    As for those other 8 people, no matter what God has in mind for you and for that little church, your relationship with them need not change. Even if one day the congregation were to close the doors permanently due to its inability to afford to stay open, there is nothing saying that you cannot continue to meet for fellowship in each other’s homes and around each other’s tables. Even now, regular potlucks in homes might create a wonderful way to “bring them along” in whatever way God leads next.

    I hope that helps to answer some questions. God bless.

  5. (from Gary on Facebook) "WOW, WOW, WOW! ...... The Lord lead me out of the institutional church two years ago. I've struggle for the past year and a half. There were many times I questioned my decision. At one point I thought I was loosing my mind because no Christians I attempted to share with could understand where I was coming from. It was as if I was from another planet and speaking a foreign language. After reading your post all I can say is, "WOW!" It's as if you were writing this post about what the Holy Spirit has been teaching me for the past 6 months. WOW, WOW, WOW!"

    1. (Ian's reply to Gary on Facebook) "Gary, you are not alone. I left the institution three years ago. I have never looked back; more revelation, more openness and freedom of expression in my relationship with Jesus... I could go on. The internet has made it possible for Christians to express their faith independently of centralised controlled and micro management. I found the need to detox spiritually became an essential element of my renewal and revival. The net also introduces you to other Christians out here and provides support and sustenence as you grow and re-aquaint yourself with your saviour. You and the Holy Spirit is how it all begins and how we all grow in Jesus. Blessings"