Monthly Archives: June 2017

Swiss study highlights horse owners’ desire for complementary and alternative therapies – Horsetalk

Posted: June 1, 2017 at 10:37 pm

Horse owners in Switzerland commonly turn to practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine when horses have orthopaedic problems, the findings of a study suggest.

The study focused on 357 registered Swiss Warmblood horses aged five and older who had been involved in an unrelated study on airway disease, during which owners had indicated their horse may have had an orthopaedic problem.

A total of 239 owners and caretakers of the horses were surveyed by telephone by a veterinarian, who identified a total of 222 orthopaedic problems in 170 of the animals.

Sixty-two horses were identified with a back problem, 96 horses with a lameness issue involving one or more limbs, and 12 had a combined back problem and lameness issue.

Complementary and alternative medicine was used commonly in this population, the researchers found. They were employed for 164 of the 222 problems (in 73.9% of cases) for both diagnosis and treatment. This treatment was rarely administered by a veterinarian in only 27 of the 222 cases, or 12%.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine was even higher if a back problem was suspected by the owner, in 68 of the 74 problems identified (91.9%).

However, the owners declared that a veterinary diagnosis had been established in 75.7% of all cases (for 168 of 222 orthopaedic problems), some of which had involved x-rays or scans.

The majority of the owners initially consulted a veterinarian, Catharina Lange and her colleagues from the University of Bern reported in the journal Veterinary Medicine and Science. If the problem did not resolve, they chose to consult a practitioner.

A complementary and alternative medicine practitioner was the first choice for initial consultation in only one-third of the cases, they reported, noting that this tendency was more pronounced in horses withsuspected back problems.

Osteopathy was the most frequently applied complementary discipline, in 52.9% of cases, followed by homoeopathy (22.2%), acupuncture (14.7%), chiropractic (11.6%), physiotherapy (11.1%), massage (8.0%), magnetic field therapy (5.3%), animal communication (1.3%), kinesiology (0.9%) and a natural healer (2.2%).

The results of this survey reflected the large demand for complementary and alternative medicine by horse owners, the researchers said.

A trained veterinarian administered complementary and alternative medicine treatments in only a small number of cases.

This, they suggested, underlined the need for an educational system for people with non-veterinary professional backgrounds that assured adequate qualifications regarding equine anatomy and pathology, and experience in handling horses. This was in addition to a thorough education in the complementary therapy they were employing.

The study team said it also showed the need for joint efforts to improve cooperation between the use of conventional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine and to develop new multidisciplinary approaches to equine orthopaedic problems.

As veterinarians, we need to increase our understanding of the potential merits and limits of each complementary and alternative medicine discipline and be able to critically assess their effects.

A complementary and alternative medicine practitioner was found to be the first choice in 66 cases (29.6%), and even more so in suspected back problem (48 of 74, or 64.9%) compared to cases with a lameness problem (18 of 149, or 12.1%).

There are about 80,000 Swiss Warmblood horses registered in Switzerland.

Lange, C. D., Axiak Flammer, S., Gerber, V., Kindt, D. and Koch, C. (2017), Complementary and alternative medicine for the management of orthopaedic problems in Swiss Warmblood horses. Vet Med Sci. doi:10.1002/vms3.64

The study, published under a Creative Commons License, can be read here.

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Presented by IV Solution: Treat Your Chronic Pain, Anxiety & Depression with Alternative Medicine – Michigan Avenue Magazine

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Its no secret that wellness is very much in right nowand with good reason. There are so many people struggling with things like anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and diseases who are ditching traditional treatments for alternative medicine that is safe and will make them feel better. Chicagos new IV Solution Ketamine Center (712 N. Dearborn St., 844-948-6337) is one place where locals can get their dose of alternative treatments. Here, we talk with chief medical officer Dr. Bal Nandra M.D. about all the pros and cons involved with opting for alternative treatments such as ketamine therapies and his advice for those who are still on the fence.

What are the pros of going the alternative medicine route with ketamine treatments?BAL NANDRA M.D.: Ketamine is effective in treating conditions that traditionally have had no silver bullet. For example, treatment-resistant or refractory depression can be very challenging to treat and many of these patients have not only failed multiple medication regimens and psychotherapy, but they may have even failed electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT). But now, ketamine can be a shining light for these patients and give them a chance at a better life with a safe and very fast-acting medication. Ketamine may not be for everyone, but patients who are not finding the relief they desire should speak with their doctor about this treatment because it could be their silver bullet.

Are there any cons?BN: Like with any innovative treatment that is off-label, most insurance companies will not cover the treatments so patients have to pay out of pocket. Although currently some organizations are pushing for approval, these things take time. Additionally, with any new therapy, more clinical studies always need to be done. However, some of the studies behind ketamine and depression came out of the NIH.

Will ketamine treatments decrease or eliminate the need for medications or other treatments? If so, how long after?BN: Patients will vary in their need for their regular medications after ketamine. Many patients are able to get completely off their drugs; others can only reduce their doses. We always recommend that patients only discontinue or adjust their medications with the guidance of their treating physician.

Do you find that ketamine treatments work better at relieving some ailments more than others?BN: The studies done have largely focused on major depressive disorder where ketamine has been shown to be around 75% effective and this has been duplicated by multiple studies. There are very few medications available that are this effective in treating any illness of any kind. So ketamine has been a real game changer in depression and has been called by experts as the greatest advancement in mental health in over 50 years.

Whats your advice to someone whos still a little skeptical about trying ketamine treatments?BN: If you are skeptical about trying ketamine, you should first discuss this option with your treating physician. After that, we are available to do a free consultation to discuss the treatment in more depth and what you can expect. We always take a health screening before we see you so that our conversation can be focused on you specifically and how we can customize the protocol to best fit your needs. We can often also put you in touch with one of our former patients as a resource.

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The Supplement Industry Is Devastating The EnvironmentCan Algae Fix It? – Fast Company

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Over the course of the last decade, the U.S. developed an obsession with omega-3 fatty acids. As study after study coalesced around the idea that this nutrient, found commonly in seafood, could alleviate a host of woes from cardiovascular issues to mental decline, Americans began popping omega-3 supplements, mostly in the form of fish oil pills, by the bushel. It became a multibillion dollar industry.

But the scramble to get the (still debatable) benefits of omega-3s has lead to devastating overfishing of fish species like menhaden, which are crucial to the aquatic ecosystem, and has landed others, like whale sharks, on the endangered species list. With Americans enthusiasm for omega-3s showing no signs of cooling, finding an alternative to fish-derived nutrients became imperative. AndQualitas Health, a Texas-based nutrition company, has landed on a solution: algae.

Weve got to be way more creative with how we think about food and nutrition, and where that comes from. [Photo: Qualitas Health]Fish oil supplements are produced by treating and processing mass-caught fish in order to extract the oil that fills the softgels you can buy at the drugstore. But as author Paul Greenberg noted in theNew York Times in 2009, the fish that become fish oil are the bottom-of-the-food-chain dwellers menhaden. Nearly every fish a fish eater likes to eat eats menhaden, Greenberg wrote. Bluefin tuna, striped bass, redfish, and bluefish are just a few of the diners at the menhaden buffet. All of these fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids but are unable themselves to synthesize them. The omega-3s they have come from menhaden. As more of thesefish disappear into softgels,the nutritional supply of more consumer-friendly fish has become threatened.

Around 19 million (8% of the total population) adult Americans, lured by the health benefits, take omega-3 supplements in the form of fish oil. Its far and away the most commonly consumed supplement in the country, and its ascent has been rapid: 8 million more people reported taking omega-3s in 2012 than did in 2007.As the demand for supplements continues to grow, Qualitas CEOMiguel Calatayud tells Fast Company, his company is setting out to offer a plant-based alternative to the fish and krill supplements currently driving that growth and dominating the market.

Eight million more people reported taking omega-3s in 2012 than did in 2007. [Photo: Qualitas Health]Qualitas has been cultivating algae in a 45-acre facility in Imperial, Texas, since 2012. It recently announced anexpansion to a100-acre facility in Columbus, New Mexico, in partnership with the commercial crop production company Green Stream Farms, which will more than triple Qualitass output.

In the companys early days, Qualitas VP of operations Rebecca White tells Fast Company, it was mainly about selling the omega-3s from algae as a bulk ingredient, and doing business-to-business sales. But in March of 2016, Calatayud came on board as CEO and brought with him years of experience in the nutrition startup realm, and a vision to turn commercially grown algae into a viable and sustainable player in the health and wellness scene.

The whole point is to use as much of the biomass as possible. [Photo: Qualitas Health]People have the idea that omega-3s come from fish, but really, theyre getting the nutrients from algae, White says. Qualitas, through cutting directly to the source, is capitalizing on a train of thought thatcultivating this briny plant could help preserve both ocean ecosystems and human health. As Catharine Arnston, founder of the supplement company EnergyBits, told Fast Company just a few months ago: In 10years, [algae] is going to be in everything. Algaes nutritional profile is hard to argue with: The compact, sea-smelling plant is packed with protein (around 40%), vitamin A, vitamin B12, and iron, and, as Qualitas has already capitalized on, omega-3. Were really trying to promote a different perspective on algaenot as a science project, but as an agricultural venture, Calatayud says. This is a super-crop.

In March, Qualitas introduced its inaugural line of omega-3 supplements, called alGeepa, to the Texas retail chain H-E-B, and plans to scale the availability of its products to the rest of the U.S. following its production expansion. And thats not the only part of the supplement industry its targeting: The company is also working on an algae-derived protein product, and a fiber supplement developed from the cell wall. The whole point is to use as much of the biomass as possible, White says. While the seafood industry currently has the monopoly on theomega-3 supplement industry, Qualitas, through scaling up its operations, is aiming to prove that nutritional elements like protein and omega-3, which are associated mainly with seafood and livestock, can come from a source thats entirely sustainable and vegan.

Especially in the arid climates of Texas and New Mexico, where few crops grow and livestock is the dominant industry, Qualitass operations represent a radical reimagining of what the land can do. [Photo: Qualitas Health]Concurrent to the rise of fish oil supplements has been a shift in interesttoward eating more seafood, which is positioned as a healthier and more nutrient-packed source of protein than beef or chicken. But whether delivered in supplement or fillet form, the health benefits of seafood eventually run up against the fact that the industry is not sustainable enough to support the demand for its benefits.

While the industry comes to terms with the nutritional value of the plant, companies like Qualitas are determined to prove its viability as a large-scale cropand the expansion to the New Mexico facility is at the forefront of that shift. Weve got to be way more creative with how we think about food and nutrition, and where that comes from, White says. A variety of companies are looking to peas and soy as alternatives to the protein derived from the climate-change-driving livestock industry, but algae, White says, is a more sustainable and efficient option.

Especially in the arid climates of Texas and New Mexico, where few crops grow and livestock is the dominant industry, Qualitass operations represent a radical reimagining of what the land can do. A handful of companies like TerraVia and ADM are using a fermentation process to grow algae in steel tanks, and while those processes are helping to grow the industry and pique interest in algae-based products, whats unique about Qualitas, says Matt Carr, executive director of the Algae Biomass Organization, is its progress in growing algae photosyntheticallyusing just the sun and carbon dioxide, like just another land-based crop, but doing so in a climate and region otherwise hostile to agriculture.

Because algae thrives in ocean-like climates, the Qualitas facilities, while water-intensive, utilize mostly brackish water. [Photo: Qualitas Health]To grow algaea distinctly aquatic plantin the middle of the southwestern deserts, Qualitas dug trenches (which they call raceways, because of their resemblance to a track) into the land. While other land-based algae production facilities, like Qualitas New Mexico facility line their ponds with plastic, Qualitas Texas farm takes advantage of the regions clay-like soil, and packs it tightly to form the base of the ponds. One acre of algae production on Qualitass facilities, White says, results in around 6,000 pounds of the essential amino acids found in protein; one acre of pea cultivation, in contrast, produces around 20 pounds.

And because algae thrives in ocean-like climates, the Qualitas facilities, while water-intensive, utilize mostly brackishwater. White estimates that each acre of production requires around five gallons of fresh water, but thats mostly reserved for staff drinking water and lab use; all of the water in the ponds is, essentially, sea water. Qualitass 150 production acres equates to the nearly 45,000 acres of land required to cultivate the same value of peas.

Qualitass expansion will put the viability of its model to a much more rigorous test. If they can demonstrate that their system works and doesnt crash, and can sustainably produce commercial algae volumes, well likely see a pretty rapid uptake of algae as a broader substitute, Carr says.

Eillie Anzilotti is an assistant editor for Fast Company's Ideas section, covering sustainability, social good, and alternative economies. Previously, she wrote for CityLab.

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Louisa County ISU Extension holds centennial celebration – Muscatine Journal

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WAPELLO As visitors worked their way through a handful of displays highlighting the various contributions of ISU Extension and Outreach to life in Louisa County on Thursday afternoon, they came across an unusual station: an empty room, painted in cheery mint-green and adorned with a sign.

It said dream a little.

In the coming year, that room will become the site of a business incubator, supporting and nurturing a small business.

Celebrating 100 years of service in Louisa County, staff at the ISU Extension office in Louisa County held the event to showcase their accomplishments and highlight their vision for the next 100 years.

In small counties like Louisa County, where agriculture is a major sector of the economy... extension can provide a lot for peoples homes, families and farms, said Kathy Vance, Louisa County program director. Were a big part of life in Louisa County and have been for 100 years.

And on Thursdays event, visitors learned from extension staff and volunteers about the services that the office provide, from science-centric camps that teach children to code to Master Gardner classes.

John Lawrence, interim vice president for extension and outreach, said the relationship between Louisa County and Iowa State University is a way of helping the county tackle not only the problems, but seize the opportunities.

Some of these opportunities, Vance said, include an emphasis on sustainability. Two months ago, they installed solar panels at the extension office, showcasing green energy and educating the public about it.

Solar energy, she said, can be a cost-effective way to decrease both reliance on fossil fuels and the expenses associated with consuming fossil fuels.

"Extensions job is to build a strong Iowa part of it is sustainability, Vance said.

Another priority for the extension office, she said, is tackling water quality.

Water quality is a huge issue in Iowa for agriculture and for people and in Louisa County not just clean water, but floodwater, she said. And Extension has worked extensively with Louisa County residents and the community through two huge floods in the last 100 years and we hope to never have to do it again.

Other priorities remain the same as they have since the extension office began its work, including agricultural education to help farmers increase their yields.

We still have hungry people and they need the livestock thats produced in Iowa, the crops thats produced in Iowa, so were here to help with that, she said.

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Is It Wrong for Old People to Receive Blood Infusions From Teenagers? – Reason (blog)

Posted: at 10:36 pm

Parabiosis, a nascent and unproven medical procedure that involves transfusing the blood of young people into the bodies of older people, is in the news once again.

CNBC reports that for $8,000, a startup called Ambrosia will transfuse blood from donors under the age of 25 to buyers over the age of 35.

And once again, folks are reacting with astounding contempt. You can take a look at the outrage here. In a nutshell: This is exploitation. This is vampirism. This is a profound misuse of money. This is where capitalism takes us.

We don't yet know if parabiosis reverses or even slows aging. Reason's Ron Bailey has chronicled the practice since it first popped up on his life-extension radar, after studies found that connecting the circulatory system of a young mouse to that of an old mouse "stimulates the worn-out stem cells in old mice to start proliferating again to repair damaged tissues." (Researchers are also studying the effects of umbilical cord blood plasma as a substitute for the blood of 20-somethings.)

Like Ron, I think this is fascinating and exciting science, even if it turns out to be the 21st century analog to Charles-douard Brown-Squard's experiments with the macerated testicles of guinea pigs and dogs. An elderly Brown-Squard injected said concoction into his own body thinking it would make him stronger.

His methods were sloppy and wrong, but his underlying assumption--that certain glands within the body secreted critical chemicals--were correct. Reviled across Europe and the U.S. in the late 1800s, his experiments nevertheless helped pave the way for treatments for hypothyroidism, Type I diabetes, and Addison's disease.

More than a century later, you'd think we'd be a little more tolerant of the circuitous routes that researchers take from hunch to value creation. Have you seen the Wright Brothers' first crack at a plane? It sucked. And yet, people are freaking out about parabiosis for reasons that don't stand up to scrutiny.

The blood Ambrosia uses comes from blood banks, which have always sold blood to cover their operating expenses. That means Ambrosia, and its customers, are helping offset the costs of collecting the blood that goes to people who will die without it.

The donors who provide the blood certainly aren't any worse off: According to the Red Cross, "plasma from your donation is replaced within about 24 hours. Red cells need about four to six weeks for complete replacement." I see nothing in the organization's FAQ that suggests a worse outcome for the donor if the recipient is a tech bro rather than a gunshot victim.

Might this be bad for the people buying the blood? Perhaps. Though if it's a problem for healthy people to receive vetted blood transfusions, I can't imagine it's any better for people whose immune systems have been compromised by the trauma of an accident or surgery. It is certainly not the most dangerous thing for which one can pay $8,000. (My entry would be this year's Yamaha SCR 950. Mama mia!)

Is it a scam to pay $8,000 for something that may have absolutely no effect on quality or length of life? I suspect if you have $8,000 to spend on this (it's not covered by insurance, obviously), you are also capable of conducting a cost-benefit analysis of an unproven, exploratory treatment. I don't care for Thiel, but I'm also not worried about him going broke buying blood.

Is it bad that rich people in Silicon Valley are spending money on this, when so many people with much less money are suffering from ailments more real and troubling than the prospect of not living to 120? That, I think, is what really drives people to say awful things about it.

Last year, Inc. magazine reported that "if there's one thing that excites Peter Thiel"--Silicon Valley's most prominent supervillain--"it's the prospect of having younger people's blood transfused into his own veins." A lot of people loathe Thiel, for some very good reasons. A few weeks back on HBO's Silicon Valley, that show's most prominent villain, insanely wealthy Hooli founder Gavin Belson, was seen receiving a transfusion from a beautiful young lad, whom the show's nominal hero refers to as a "blood boy." Belson, played by Matt Ross, once threw a sloth down a flight of stairs. He is the epitome of unlikeable.

And so parabiosis has become a stand-in for the things villainous rich people can buy that the rest of us can't. It's right up there with bigger houses, hired help, immunity from prosecution, gaudy weddings, and entire elections (you'd think we'd be happier when they can't buy those).

If parabiosis is bunko, then the people who'd prefer to control how rich people spend their money should rejoice. Rich people are going to do with their money what they want (because they always have); and in this scenario, they're wasting it.

But if rich people paying for parabiosis leads to some valuable insights about improving quality of life in old age, then please consider ordering the humble pie for dessert. Age-related disorders are pressing right now, and will become more so as we journey into a future in which humans live longer, but not necessarily better, lives.

There are nearly a billion humans over the age of 60 on the planet today. There will be more than two billion of them by 2050. I hope to still be around then. I'm sure many critics of parabiosis hope to as well. If the tech bros of Silicon Valley want to offer up their bodies and their money in hopes of making that possible, why would any of us discourage them?

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How the Conservatives made it back: 12 years that changed Britain – Financial Times

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How the Conservatives made it back: 12 years that changed Britain
Financial Times
The Tories then were a resistance movement against the zeitgeist. They bashed adulterers, gay people, working and/or single mothers ie most of the electorate. An extremely detailed post-election report called Smell the Coffee, funded by former ...

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SARSOUR AND THE PROGRESSIVE ZEITGEIST – FrontPage Magazine

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SARSOUR AND THE PROGRESSIVE ZEITGEIST
FrontPage Magazine
For instance, as Ian Tuttle reported in National Review, in 2014 Sarsour (who was then leading efforts to fuse the Black Lives Matter movement with anti-Zionism) published an article on CNN.com titled, My hijab is my hoodie. There Sarsour conflated ...

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Are We Witnessing the Battle Involving an Antimary and an Antichrist? – National Catholic Register (blog)

Posted: at 10:36 pm

Blogs | Jun. 1, 2017

Mary has vanquished Christian enemies for centuries. It is time we call upon her again to conquer all that is opposed to her and to her Son.

Several months ago, I raised the question as to whether our age is marked by anantimary movementseen in progressive feminism. If there is such a thing as an antimary, what would it look like, I asked:

Well, these women would not value children. They would be bawdy, vulgar, and angry. They would rage against the idea of anything resembling humble obedience or self-sacrifice for others. They would be petulant, shallow, catty, and overly sensuous. They would also be self-absorbed, manipulative, gossipy, anxious, and ambitious. In short, it would be everything that Mary is not.

In case we needed further evidence of how entrenched the antimary is, the recent news cycle features Planned Parenthood abortionists laughing about dismembering babies while Glamour Magazinegives instructionsfor DIY abortionpillsthat pair nicely with Chardonnay. (Okay, they didnt add the wine, but it isnt a stretch). Truly our zeitgeist is captivated (or captured) with distinctive antimary markings. This unprecedented movement of destruction, where a culture is led by female vice, not male brute force, has bled into every area of our culture with no man, women, child(or fetus) left untouched.

One of the more curious and revealing taboos seen in radical feminists, however, is their silence on women in Islam female genital mutilation, headscarves and burkas, polygamy, child marriage, 24-hour marriages to justify rape, and limited career opportunitiesall get a pass by this easily outraged group. Why? The answer seems to lie in the fact that radical Islam is guided by a similar spirit the spirit of an antichrist. Beheadings, rape, torture performed like sport while targeting Christians, Jews, and the innocent, are their calling card. The antimary and this new antichristian movement are opposite sides of the same demonic coin. The two came together with Kathy Griffin's beheading stunt this week.

They share a common mission: to eliminate all that is good, true, beautiful, and holy.

There is a catch, however. While these two are working in tandem now, like all unions with the devil, there will be a bloody divorce. The first stirrings of it are now surfacing in Europe, as we saw with the Manchester massacre.

While the New York Times still cant figure out what could have possibly motivated the suicide bomber, killing 22, Mark Steyn, spells out the issue in a fittingly titled article, Dangerous Woman Meets Dangerous Man. He writes:

Conversely, most other western citizens believe that, to invert Trotsky, if you're not interested in Islam, Islam won't be interested in you. Ariana Grande was eight at the time of 9/11, and most of her fans even younger. They have passed their entire sentient lives in the age of Islamic terror, yet somehow assume it's something compartmentalized and sealed off from them. "Dangerous Woman" is meant to be an attitude, nothing more - an edgy pose in a pop culture that lost any edge long ago; a great T-shirt, like the ones last night scavenged from the merchandising stands and used to bandage the wounded. It must come as a shock to realize there are those who take your ersatz provocations as the real thing, and are genuinely provoked by them.

As Steyn makes clear, women have been playing tough, but there is a chasm between their words and their actions. All the antimary tactics that have worked in the west to keep men in check tantrums, destroying reputations with inflated rhetoric, illogic are not going to be effective against this sort of antichrist.

Among the contributing factors to this antimarian rise are a libertine spirit, declining respect for the rule of law,and our never-seen-before financial wealth. No longer does poverty demand that we live together to scratch out a living with a division of labor suited to male and female gifts. Women simply havent needed men for their safety or material needs. But this too is changing, as women no longer feel free in Europe to go where they want, when they want, how they want. Trains arestarting to offerfemale only cars, pools have women only hours, and blonds are dying their hair black to avoid harassment. Something as commonplace as going to the theatre at night has women (and men) thinking twice about their safety.

Until we start to view the problem of Islamic Terrorism as a spiritual one and one that requires thatwechange there will be more of the same. We will continue to endure wholesale destruction of all that is good, true, and holy either until these two battle it out, with one clear winner. (Good money is on the side that has no fear of spilling blood, and not the side that remains willfully blind.)

There is a third alternative, however, that offers hope and a future. Christians must return to their faith and to the spiritual elements that we know destroy Christs enemy. As I wrote inThe Marian Option: Gods Solution to a Civilization in Crisis,after 2000 years, we know what these are: Mass, Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, confession, Marian consecration. We know these things work. And there is more than enough evidence that Mary has been behind the vanquishing of Christian enemies for centuries. It is time we call upon her again to conquer all that is opposed to her and to her Son.

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Setting the mood: The interior colours that are back on trend – North Queensland Register

Posted: at 10:36 pm

Full confession: I'm one of those people who is, and always will be, drawn towards white painted walls, almost against all reason.

So much so, in fact, that my husband likes to describe the aesthetic of our house, with its cream and timber palette, as "Depressed Hipster".

But it seems that the zeitgeist is against me. After years of pared-back, minimal interiors, the wheel of fashion has once again turned towards the more dramatic and, well, colourful.

Nowhere is the trend more apparent than the paints we are choosing for our interiors.

Deep, dark blues, spanning shades ranging from navy to ultramarine and sapphire, started popping up in magazine spreads and social media feeds several years ago and are showing no signs of going anywhere any time soon.

As a feature colour, they are often teamed with metallic accents such as copper and brass and used to lift an overall neutral palette of greys or whites. But they are also being used as a broadwall shade, too.

Andrea Lucena-Orr, a colour expert for Dulux, says dark blues can create a calming, tranquil ambience, or inject a sense of moodiness, depending on how they are used.

"In a large room, with lots of natural light, you can use blue to make it more cosy and to give it some sort of atmosphere," she says.

"It's a colour that draws you into a space and makes you want to stay for longer."

Greige - a handy portmanteau word to describe a tone that resembles a warm grey, or cool beige, depending on how you look at it - is terribly fashionable as a soft, versatile alternative to off-white.

And no discussion of colour could be complete without mention of millennial pink - a washed-out, 21st-century reinterpretation of the saturated hue beloved of Barbara Cartland, Paris Hilton and Barbie. (In truth, the term is something of a catch-all to describe a range of subtle, toned-down variations on blush, rose, salmon and peach.)

Lucena-Orr says millennial pink can be used almost like a neutral tone, making it surprisingly easy to work with in an interior colour scheme.

"It is light and neutral enough for people to use as a broadwall colour," she says.

"Neutral pinks work so beautifully with other colours - shades with a brownish undertone can be mixed back with taupes, greiges and other warm neutrals, as well as deep teals."

Textured paints, such as those with a metallic or suede finish, or formulations containing sand, are another emerging direction, in keeping with the growing desire to add depth, interest and character to interior spaces.

"Rough" application techniques, where the lines of the brush remain visible in the finished paint work, are another extension of the trend.

Chloe Matters, founder of interior design firm TomMarkHenry, says the renewed interest in colour and texture is driven by several broader design directions.

"It's a mix between a whole lot of things," she says.

"It's partly the revival of the '70s arts and craft movement, a little bit of art deco and industrial influences, plus an Australian flavour, reflecting the organic, natural materials we have here and our beachy lifestyle."

The story Setting the mood: The interior colours that are back on trend first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.

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A Q&A with Kevin Kwan, of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ fame – The Seattle Times

Posted: at 10:36 pm

The final volume in Kwans trilogy, Rich People Problems, arrived last week (The previous books were Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend), and a movie of the first book is in the works, with Jon M. Chu directing.

I dont know about you, but I gobbled all three volumes of Kevin Kwans gossipy, name-droppy and wickedly funny Crazy Rich Asians trilogy as if they were popcorn. (Really fresh, still-warm popcorn, with that good European butter but I digress.) The novels, set among three intergenerational and ultrarich Chinese families and peppered with hilarious explanatory footnotes, are set mostly in Singapore but flit easily from one glamorous world city to another, with Young family heir Nick and his American-born girlfriend (later wife) Rachel as our levelheaded tour guides.

The final volume in the trilogy, Rich People Problems (Doubleday, 416 pp., $26.95), arrived last week to the chagrin of those who arent quite ready to say goodbye to Nick and Rachel and their irresistible world. (The previous books were Crazy Rich Asians, published in 2013, and China Rich Girlfriend in 2015.) Kwan, born and raised in Singapore but now settled in New York, answered some questions via email for me last week about the novel, the upcoming movie of Crazy Rich Asians (which began filming last month), and his many inspirations, including Dynasty.

Q: Did you always conceive this as a trilogy? (Meaning, any chance of another book in the series?)

A: From the very beginning, even before I started writing the first book, I knew I wanted to make it a trilogy. I knew it would take three books to get the full story out, and though I really need a break from the Young clan right now, nothing is ever definitive and if readers truly want more, they just might get it!

I had the entire story arc of the three books more or less in my head. I knew where I wanted to go with each of the characters, although the journey itself was a meandering one. As I began to write, my characters really would speak to me and take me on rides filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Q: Your footnotes are delightful. How did they evolve?

A: When I began the first book, I realized that there were just so many things that needed translating or further explanation. But I felt it would interrupt the flow to put them into the text, so I tried experimenting with footnotes. In the beginning, the footnotes were very formal and a bit dry. So I started trying to make them more humorous, and the idea really took shape. I should note that the voice of the footnotes isnt me its actually all done in [Nicks cousin] Olivers voice!

Q: I love big family sagas, complete with family trees to keep everyone straight. Do you have any favorites in that genre that inspired you?

A: I love Anthony Trollopes Dr. Thorne and his Palliser Series, Evelyn Waughs Brideshead Revisited, as well as everything Jane Austen has written. I have to admit that being a child of the 80s, I was also inspired by family sagas on TV: Dynasty, Falcon Crest and more recently Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones!

Q: Whats been the reaction from your family in Singapore?

A: Each of my characters is inspired by many people sometimes a mix of family, friends and people Ive just observed over the years. My family in Singapore is so big and sprawling; the reactions have been so diverse. Some love my books, some are completely baffled by them, and one relative actually flipped through my second novel, China Rich Girlfriend, as if it was a rotting piece of fish and said, Kevin, I cant think of anyone in Singapore who would want to read this!

Q: Youve spoken of doing a lot of nonfiction reading as research. Can you share a few titles?

A: Sure! Forgotten Armies: Britains Asia Empire and the War With Japan, The Soong Dynasty by Sterling Seagrave, Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang, and The Dragon Behind the Glass by Emily Voigt, just to name a few.

Q: The books are full of amazing details of life among the Singapore ultrarich such as plastic surgery for pet fish. Do you have a favorite from the books? Are any of them made up?

A: I love all my crazy details, so its really hard to play favorites. One detail I do love in the new book concerns the two Thai aristocrats that married into Catherine Young Aakaras family (Nicks aunt who lives in Thailand): Its mentioned that the two ladies only eat shellfish, and this was directly inspired by a story a chef once told me about having to prepare an entire meal for a Thai princess whose entire diet consisted of shellfish. NOTHING is made up In my books!

Q: I would like to be Astrid [Nicks glamorous, preternaturally poised cousin]. Thats not really a question, just a statement.

A: Not only do I get [that] all the time, I get sent poetry and artwork inspired by Astrid from her fans, and Im told that quite a few women in Singapore and Hong Kong have gone around claiming to be the inspiration for Astrid!

Q: Tell me about the movie! (Fun local fact: Screenwriter Pete Chiarelli is a Tacoma native and a University of Washington alum.)

A: I did everything I could to be helpful to Pete as he worked on the script. I think hes done a fabulous job!

Ive been involved in almost every aspect of the film from the very beginning I first worked with the producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force to select the screenwriter that would adapt the book into a script, and then we focused on finding the perfect director to make the film. After Jon M. Chu came on board, we went into full casting mode and then very quickly into production. Since then Ive worked with the costume designer Mary Vogt and the production designer Nelson Coates, and its all been so exciting. I think very few authors have been as involved in the film adaptation of their book as I have, and I feel very lucky to have had this experience. Everyone involved is so brilliant, and Im thrilled by the way theyre bringing the book to life on screen.

Q: This movie seems to be arriving at exactly the right moment in the zeitgeist for Asian performers in Hollywood. Do you think theres extra pressure because of that?

A: Certainly. There really seems to be a whole movement behind this film and its become a symbol of hope not just for Asian performers, but for Asian communities all over the world. I think everyone working on this film from Jon to the actors to everyone on our incredible crew feels that sense of excitement and expectation, and its really inspiring everyone to give that much of themselves to the movie. I think audiences are going to be crazy happy with the results!

More here:

A Q&A with Kevin Kwan, of 'Crazy Rich Asians' fame - The Seattle Times

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