text:
C5aR inhibition in the early inflammatory phase does not affect bone regeneration in a model of uneventful fracture healing
Christian Ehrnthaller1Email author,
Markus Huber-Lang1,
Anna Kovtun2,
Anna Elise Rapp2,
Julia Kemmler2,
Florian Gebhard1 and
Anita Ignatius2
Received: 19 May 2016
Recent studies were able to demonstrate involvement of the complement cascade in bone biology. Further studies analyzed the role of complement in traumatic injuries and demonstrated negative effects after excessive systemic activation of the inflammatory response with early abrogation of complement activation after application of a C5aR-antagonist exerting beneficial effects upon bone regeneration. In contrast, own fracture healing experiments with complement-deficient animals implied a crucial role of the complement cascade for sufficient fracture healing.
To analyze the effect of a short abrogation of the complement system in the local process of fracture healing, a fracture healing experiment with wild-type mice (C57BL6), femoral osteotomy, consecutive external fixation for 21 days and blockade of the early complement activation (C5aRA) directly after trauma and after 12 h was performed. Control animals received a peptide without any biological effects. After 1–3 days, the inflammatory response was monitored with IL-6 immunostaining, serum analyses of C5a and after 3 days with histological evaluation of PMN. Fracture healing was examined with biomechanical, radiological and histological methods after 21 days.
While a decrease of the early inflammatory response was seen on day 1 of the C5aRA-treated group regarding immunostaining for IL-6 and after 3 days in the histological evaluation of PMN, no significant differences were demonstrated between both experimental groups after 21 days in the biomechanical, radiological and histological evaluation.
The present results demonstrate that the short-term inhibition of complement activation immediately after fracture does not significantly affect bone regeneration in an experimental model of regular fracture healing. Whereas other studies demonstrated that the early posttraumatic blockade of the C5aR improves fracture healing in a scenario of combined trauma, the present findings implicate that the same treatment has no effect in uneventful bone healing.
Fracture healing
C5aR
C5aRA
The complement cascade represents an essential part of the innate immunity consisting of almost 40 different proteases, which are activated by three established activation pathways (classic, alternative and lectin) in a chain reaction ultimately leading to formation of the terminal attack complex protecting the host from infection [1]. Besides other functions like opsonization of pathogens, the complement system is known to trigger both local and systemic inflammation by activation of the potent anaphylatoxins complement factor 3a (C3a) and C5a [2]. Functions like phagocyte migration, smooth muscle cell relaxation, degranulation of mast cells and basophil granulocytes are mediated after interaction of C3a and C5a with their corresponding receptors C3aR and C5aR [1]. Additionally, Huber-Lang et al. were able to demonstrate cross-activation of the complement system by other serine protease systems (e.g. coagulation system) [3] and also a cellular activation pathway by macrophages has been discovered [4]. Both extrinsic activation pathways have been regarded as an important mechanism in traumatic injuries [3].
Various clinical and experimental studies provided evidence for an involvement of complement in bone biology [5–7]. Besides demonstration of complement activation in bone tissue both locally and systemically after traumatic injuries, the complement system is known to be involved in the pathophysiology of several other bone-affecting diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [8, 9].
Several studies were also able to identify an involvement of the complement cascade in the process of fracture healing [5, 10, 11].
Our group evaluated the role of complement in fracture healing in complement factor 3 (C3)- and C5-deficient mice. Whereas after 21 days healing was successful in the absence of C3, in C5-deficient mice fracture repair was significantly impaired. Therefore, activation of the terminal complement cascade was suggested to be crucial for successful fracture healing [5]. With the most prominent results seen in the early healing phase, the question if complement is crucial for fracture healing throughout all healing phases remained to be elucidated. This problem especially aroused as other studies were able to demonstrate a negative role of complement in the early posttraumatic inflammation phase with impaired fracture healing in a combined severe animal trauma model of blunt chest trauma and femoral osteotomy [10]. In this study, additional intravenous application of a C5aR antagonist (C5aRA) completely abolished the negative effects [11], demonstrating that the complement cascades deleterious systemic effects in a severe multiple trauma model.
Therefore, the question remains, if abrogation of the very early complement activation after a single femur osteotomy with undisturbed fracture healing exerts beneficial or maybe even deleterious effects due to the fact that a balanced inflammation is very important for elimination of alarmins to reduce tissue damage [2].
To further elucidate the involvement of complement in fracture healing in respect to timing and the different fracture healing phases, a fracture healing experiment with systemic administration of a C5aRA immediately after fracture induction was performed.
All experiments followed the international regulations for the care and use of laboratory animals after the approval of the national ethical committee (Germany, Regierungspräsidium Tübingen, No. 965). Surgery was performed under general anesthesia, and all efforts were made to minimize suffering. All mice received analgesic in the drinking water from 2 days preoperatively to 3 days postoperatively (25 mg/l, Tramal®, Gruenenthal, Aachen, Germany).
C57BL/6J mice were chosen for both experimental groups. Mice were purchased from Jackson Laboratories (Bar Harbor, Maine, USA).
Fracture healing experiments
Fifty male mice, aged 12 weeks, were divided into two experimental groups: femoral osteotomy with administration of a C5aR-antagonist (Fx and C5aRA) (n = 24) and femoral osteotomy with application of a control peptide (Fx) (n = 26). The surgical procedure was described in detail previously [12]. Briefly, a standardized osteotomy gap of 0.4 mm was created at the midshaft of the right femur and stabilized with an external fixator using 4 mini-Schanz screws (Research Implant System, RIS, Davos, Switzerland). After a healing period of 7 and 21 days, animals were killed. Additional animals were killed for serum and histological analysis on days 1 and 3 (Fig. 1).
Diagram of the experimental setup with treatment and evaluation time points and the corresponding evaluation methods (µCT = micro-computed tomography; C5aRA = complement factor 5 receptor antagonist)
C5aR-antagonist
Immediately after the surgical procedure and femur osteotomy, one group received a C5aR-antagonist (Ac-F [OPdChaWR]; PMX-53) at a dosage of 1 mg/kg intravenously [13, 14]. The injection was repeated 12 h after injury to prevent the C5a-dependent systemic inflammation, which was detectable during the first 12–24 h after the blunt chest trauma in rats [10, 15]. Control animals received a peptide (Ac-F [OPdChaAdR]) with two changed amino acids, which does not have antagonistic activity, and thus, does not develop any biological effect at the same concentration and at the same time points [16].
Biomechanical testing
All femora explanted on day 21 were subjected to non-destructive three-point bending tests as described previously [12]. Briefly, the proximal femora were embedded in aluminum cylinders using SelfCem (Heraeus Kulzer, Hanau, Germany). Then, the embedded femora were inserted into a material-testing machine (Mod. Z010, Zwick GmbH & Co., Ulm, Germany). The bending load was applied to the top of the callus and was recorded continuously versus sample deflection.
Micro-computed tomography (μCT)
Femora were scanned using a µCT device (Skyscan 1172, Skyscan) at a resolution of 8 µm and with the settings 50 kV and 200 µA. The region of interest (ROI) was defined as the periosteal callus together with the fracture gap. The callus was segmented and unnecessary callus regions were discarded using a CT-analysis software (Data viewer, Skyscan). To distinguish between mineralized and non-mineralized tissue, a threshold was defined with a grey value corresponding to 25% of X-ray attenuation of the cortical bone of each specimen [17]. To determine the mineral density, bone phantoms with 250–750 mg/kg hydroxyapatite were used for calibration with the same threshold as described above. Common American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) standard parameters including bone volume (BV), tissue volume (TV) and BV/TV (bone volume/tissue volume) were evaluated (CTAnalyser, Skyscan).
Histological analysis
After fixation in 4% formaldehyde and dehydration with ethanol, the bones were embedded in methyl methacrylate (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Histological slices were harvested from longitudinal sections through the center of the bone and surface-stained with Paragon (toluidine blue and fuchsin; both Waldeck GmbH & Co KG, Münster, Germany). The slices were examined under a light microscope (Leica DMI6000B, Leica, Heerbrugg, Switzerland) at fivefold magnification. The amount of bone, cartilage and fibrous tissue was assessed by circumscribing the corresponding areas using image analysis software (Leica MMAF 1.4.0 Imaging System, powered by MetaMorph1).
Interleukin 6 (IL-6) immunostaining
After fixation in 4% buffered formalin for 48 h, osteotomized femurs were decalcified using 20% EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) (pH 7.2–7.4) and embedded in paraffin. Immunohistological staining for IL-6 (IL-6 polyclonal rabbit anti-mouse antibody, #bs-0379R, Bioss Inc, Woburn, MA, USA and goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) secondary antibody, #B2770, Invitrogen Life Technologies GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany) was performed 1, 3 and 7 days after fracture. Respective non-specific IgG subtypes were used as controls. All sections were counterstained with hematoxylin (Waldeck, Münster, Germany) and analyzed under 200- or 400-fold magnification by light microscopy (Leica DMI6000B, Leica, Heerbrugg, Switzerland).
Immunohistological evaluation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN)
Polymorphonuclear leukocytes were stained in paraffin-embedded tissue after 3 days with the region of interest defined as the periosteal callus between the inner pins of the fixator. The immunohistological staining and evaluation have been performed as previously described [18].
Serum C5a measurement
Serum C5a was analyzed after 1–3 days using a commercially available ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kit (DY2150) in accordance with the manufacturer's protocol (R&D Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, USA).
Data were expressed as mean ± two times standard error (SEM). Statistical analysis was performed using the unpaired t test after testing of normal distribution (IBM SPSS Statistics 19.0, SPSS Inc., IBM, Armonk, New York, USA). Results with p ≤ 0.05 were considered significant.
Radiological evaluation of the fracture callus 21 days after fracture showed only slight differences between the treatment groups without statistical significance.
Whereas the amount of BV was equal between both experimental groups (Fig. 2a; mean bone volume for the fracture group 0.25–0.26 mm3 for Fx & C5aRA), the amount of tissue volume (TV) differed 66% with a mean value of 3.3 mm3 in the Fx group compared to 1.1 mm3 in the Fx & C5aRA group (p = 0.99) (Fig. 2b). Consecutively, the value for BV/TV (bone volume/tissue volume) showed slightly higher values (9.9%) for the group of Fx & C5aRA (29.3%) compared to the group of fracture alone (19.4%) (Fig. 2c).
µCT analyses of the fracture callus at 21 days after the osteotomy for both experimental groups (Fx = fracture; Fx & C5aRA = fracture with administration of C5aRA). a Bone volume in mm3. b Tissue volume in mm3. c Bone volume/total volume in %. d Bending stiffness in N × mm2. Results are displayed as mean ± 2 × SEM
Evaluation of biomechanical stiffness showed similar values for both experimental groups (Fig. 2d) (Mean value 2279 N × mm2 in the fracture group and 2177 N × mm2 in the group of C5aRA treatment).
Histological evaluation showed no significant alterations for the different amount of tissue in the fracture callus on both evaluation time points after 7–21 days (Fig. 3a; data from day 7 not shown).
a Histological evaluation of the fracture callus for both experimental groups after 21 days with representative histological images of the callus (Fx = fracture; Fx & C5aRA = fracture with administration of C5aRA). b Results of histological evaluation of PMN after 3 days with representative histological images of the callus region in detail. Results are displayed as mean ± 2 × SEM; size of the scale bar = 100 µm; * = cortex, # = periosteal callus
Further histological analysis of PMN after 3 days was not able to depict any significant difference and showed a slightly higher amount of PMN in the control group (16%; p = 0.452) than in the group for C5aRA administration (Fig. 3b).
Additional examination of IL-6 distribution in the callus area displayed a strong staining of control animals after 1 day, which was not seen in the group treated with the C5aR-antagonist (Fig. 4). After 3–7 days almost similar IL-6 coloring for both experimental groups was demonstrated.
Immunostaining of IL-6 on day 1, 3 and 7 in tissue sections of control animals (Fx) and after administration of C5aRA (Fx & C5aRA) showing the callus region in detail (fracture gap on the left, cortex in the middle, bone marrow on top (*) and periosteal callus (#) on the bottom of the image. Size of the scale bar = 100 µm (200-fold magnification)
The analysis of serum C5a was performed on the early healing stages after 1 and 3 days after osteotomy. C5aRA treatment did not result in a systemic alteration of the amount of generated C5a. In detail, mean value in the fracture group on day 1 was 0.14 ng/ml−1 compared to 0.15 ng/ml−1 in the group of C5aR-antagonist treatment (Fx & C5aRA). Three days after osteotomy, the amount of C5a was 0.15 ng/ml−1 compared to 0.12 ng/ml−1 in the group of Fx & C5aRA (Fig. 5).
C5a concentration in the serum 1 and 3 days after the osteotomy for both experimental groups (Fx = fracture; Fx & C5aRA = fracture with administration of C5aRA). Results are displayed as mean ± 2 × SEM
Recent studies were able to provide first evidence for an involvement of complement in bone biology [19–21].
Our own previous data further suggested that complement may also play a role in fracture healing [10, 22]. We demonstrated that the key complement receptor C5aR was abundantly expressed in the fracture callus of rats not only by immune cells during the early inflammatory phase but also by osteoblasts, chondroblasts and osteoclasts throughout the entire healing period [6].
Besides the increasing evidence for involvement of the complement cascade in bone biology, its exact role (positive/negative) on fracture healing remained unclear.
Various studies were able to show negative side effects of systemic complement activation in diseases like sepsis or blunt chest trauma [14, 15]. But also for musculoskeletal trauma like a femoral osteotomy, negative effects of the complement system with impaired fracture healing after combination with a blunt chest trauma were seen [10]. Systemic administration of a C5a-receptor antagonist abrogated these negative effects, suggesting a detrimental role for the complement cascade in the early and systemic inflammation phase [11]. The reason whether the negative effects on fracture healing were due to an unleashed systemic overexpression of the complement system immediately after trauma or because of its underlying cellular response mechanisms under normal activation remained rather speculative.
To clarify this, in our most recent study we evaluated complement C3- and C5-deficient animals during the 21-day healing period after femoral osteotomy and subsequent external fixation. In this fracture healing model, we were able to demonstrate a beneficial role of the complement system with impaired fracture healing for both complement-deficient strains in the early healing phases and a significantly reduced healing for C5-deficient animals after 21 days. In detail, C5-deficient animals showed a reduced bending stiffness and a smaller callus volume. Furthermore, serum analyses demonstrated activation of C5a in C3−/− mice, suggesting cleavage via extrinsic pathways. Therefore, a crucial role for activation of the terminal complement cascade in successful fracture healing was suspected [5]. In the end, it remained unclear if an early complement blockade mediates the same beneficial effects upon normal fracture healing as it was seen in multiple trauma model with systemic inflammation (blunt chest trauma with femoral osteotomy) [11], especially as some studies stated the possibility of a systemic response after a single femoral fracture [23] even though we were unable to detect a systemic increase of complement activation after an isolated femoral osteotomy in mice [5].
Overall, C5aRA treatment and, therefore, blockade of the early complement response immediately after trauma did not result in a significant alteration of fracture healing as it was seen in the afore-mentioned study of a combined trauma with femoral osteotomy and blunt chest trauma [10, 11]. Whereas biomechanical and histological evaluation after 21 days depicted similar values for both groups mirroring the unaltered fracture healing, a closer look to the results revealed slight differences between the treatment groups. C5aR-antagonist treatment clearly diminished the early inflammatory reaction after 1 day as reflected by the reduced IL-6 immunostaining of the fracture callus. In accordance, the number of peripheral mononuclear cells in the callus was diminished by 16% confirming the reduced early inflammatory reaction on a local level. The systemic C5a concentration was not significantly affected after C5aR blockade. This was not surprising, as our previous study showed no systemic increase of C5a activation in the identical experimental setup [5] with the activation of complement strictly limited on a local level at the fracture site.
In reference to the available literature and our own previous studies, the effects of the complement system should be clearly distinguished between its local and systemic effects.
Locally, fracture healing seems to be dependent on a functional complement system as it was shown in own studies with complement-deficient animals [5]. While short abrogation of complement activation immediately after fracture does not alter the local regeneration processes significantly, the blockade of complement exerts positive effects on fracture healing in a scenario of severe trauma which induces systemic inflammation. Several studies were able to show that systemic complement activation may lead to deleterious effects and impaired fracture healing [10, 15]. Here, immunomodulation with a C5aR-antagonist abrogated the negative effects of the complement activation completely [11].
Whereas former studies demonstrated that complement inhibition with a C5aR antagonist could abolish the negative effects of posttraumatic inflammation on fracture healing after severe trauma, the present study showed that the same treatment does not influence fracture healing in the absence of a severe injury. These findings implicate that the therapeutic success of complement inhibition on fracture healing depends on the activation state of the complement system after injury.
ABSMR:
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
BV:
bone volume
BV/TV:
bone volume/tissue volume
C3:
complement factor 3
C3-/-:
complement factor 3 knock-out
C3aR:
complement factor 3a receptor
C5a:
complement factor 5a
C5aRA:
complement factor 5a receptor antagonist
computer tomography
μCT:
micro-computed tomography
EDTA:
ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid
ELISA:
IgG:
IL-6:
interleukin 6
PMN:
polymorphonuclear leukocytes
RA:
region of interest
SLE:
SEM:
standard error of the mean
TV:
tissue volume
CE wrote the paper, analyzed the data and performed the animal experiments. MH gave the idea to the study, participated in is design and revised the manuscript. AK analyzed the data and wrote the paper. AR analyzed the data and helped writing the paper. JK analyzed the histological data. FG and AI participated in the design of the study and revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The authors appreciate the technical assistance of Ursula Maile, Marion Tomo and Iris Baum for their laboratory work.
All authors declare that they have no competing interests.
The datasets supporting the conclusions of this article are available in the [figshare.com] repository [https://figshare.com/s/58299014768cb69d29dc]."
All experiments followed the international regulations for the care and use of laboratory animals after the approval of the national ethical committee (Germany, Regierungspräsidium Tübingen, No. 965).
This study was partially supported by KFO200 (Hu 823/3-2, IG18/14-2) and by CRC1149 (C01).
Department of Traumatology, Hand-, Plastic-, and Reconstructive Surgery, Center of Surgery, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany
Institute of Orthopedic Research and Biomechanics, Center of Musculoskeletal Research, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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Over the past 15 years, Daemen has offered several initiatives that have benefitted individuals with disabilities, including academic after-school programs for children with disabilities held at the college's Thomas Reynolds Center for Special Education and Afterschool Programs.
In other efforts, the college provides support for Daemen students who are on the autism spectrum, and has partnered with area agencies on professional development training for health care professionals working with the unique health care needs of individuals with disabilities.
Most recently, Daemen Athletics collaborated with the college's master of social work and applied behavior analysis programs to establish the Center for Allied and Unified Sport and Exercise (CAUSE), which provides recreational and competitive athletic opportunities for individuals with disabilities.


Blu is a leading Telecommunications Operator in the Valencian Community, with our own dedicated Fibre Optic network. We supply the fastest internet service available in Spain today, with our lightning-fast Fibre Optic network delivering symetrical speeds of up to 500Mb/sec!
We also operate the fastest Wireless Internet networks in the region, so if you're not within range of our fibre optic network, we can still provide you with the fastest internet speeds available in your location. Need a Spanish phone line? We install them too!
Our mobile phone tariffs are the best on the market, and whatever telecoms services you take out with us, everything is itemised in one easy monthly bill! If you run into any problems, our English speaking tech support staff will be happy to help, and tech support is free!


New York-based American Realty Capital Properties Inc. announced earlier today that it is now self managed.
It previously said on Dec. 30 that it would transition to self-management by today, terminating its management agreement with its external manager, the affiliated ARC Properties Advisors LLC, as soon as it completed its acquisition of another related company, American Realty Capital Trust IV Inc.
ARC Properties will use the external manager until it can finish its acquisition of Cole Real Estate Investments Inc., a Phoenix-based net-lease REIT.
ARC Properties and Cole announced their merger in October. Their joint press release says the combination will create the world's largest publicly traded net lease REIT valued at $21.5 billion. Details HERE.
Last year was eventful for ARC Properties.
In February, it acquired American Realty Capital Trust III Inc.
In March and April, it bought a Falmouth, Maine, bank building and six leased properties.
In August, it first announced the self-management move.
In November, it acquired $4 billion REIT CapLease Inc.
Today's statement, available on American Realty Capital Properties' website, HERE, says the Cole merger should be completed this month, subject to shareholder approval. ARC Properties is a Maryland company headquartered in New York City that trades on Nasdaq Global Select.


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EU Ambassador urges Albanian prosecutors to 'follow the money'
Albanian president urges recount and investigation of invalid votes
Albanian President Ilir Meta has demanded a recount of invalid votes in the 25 April elections in Albania, exit.al has reported. In a statement on Sunday, Meta noted that the percentage of invalid votes in the last elections was more…
Bulgaria will not have its 10 EU delegated prosecutors in time for launch
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), headed by Laura Coveschi, will start operating on Tuesday without Bulgaria having the required 10 delegated prosecutors mandated to work on major fraud cases related to EU funds at the domestic level. Seven of…
US, Albania sign 5G tech coordination agreement
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama met Sunday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels, where they jointly signed the US-Albania agreement on 5G Albanian coordination, Albania Daily News reported. "Thank you […] for the work we have done…
Eu Project Forum Register Administration	13 June 2021
Sweden summons Russian ambassador over sanctions
Sweden summoned Russia's ambassador to Stockholm on Saturday (1 May), denouncing Moscow for sanctioning European Union officials including a Swedish researcher in an escalating row between Russia and the West. The announcement came a day after Moscow barred eight EU…
Ambassador: EU and South Korea born to be best like-minded partners
Climate change is likely to be a key area to strengthen cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the EU in the coming years, the country's ambassador to Brussels, Yoon Soon-gu, told EURACTIV in an interview about multilateralism, climate cooperation and the EU's Indo-Pacific strategy.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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WELCOME TO OUR INDEPENDENT UK BASED ACOUSTIC GUITAR FORUM
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Come on you lazy B.....stds!
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geddarby
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Come on you lazy B.....stds! Mar 22, 2020 13:09:30 GMT
Post by geddarby on Mar 22, 2020 13:09:30 GMT
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NewDave: Keith, I'm complaining that a film where a dog drives cars, flies planes and grows marrows lacks realism due to a surfeit of rabbits. I might not be intending my point to be taken seriously. Dec 27, 2020 12:55:55 GMT *
NewDave: Mind you, I'd like a Bunnymatic 6000, just to impress the neighbours. Dec 27, 2020 12:57:48 GMT *
NewDave: Be careful everyone. Please stay safe. Dec 29, 2020 22:04:24 GMT
walkingdecay: Apparently there have been a surprising number of casualties caused by dogs setting tractors in motion. Our akitas have never shown any interest in driving, and I'm convinced our shiba is the reincarnation of a kamikaze pilot. Dec 30, 2020 8:32:44 GMT
walkingdecay: I base the latter on the way he wakes me each morning by swooping from above, as if I'm an errant aircraft carrier. Dec 30, 2020 8:34:49 GMT
martinrowe: Perhaps he's humouring you. Perhaps he thinks you think you're an aircraft carrier. Dec 30, 2020 10:35:13 GMT
NewDave: Happy New Year everyone. Jan 1, 2021 9:17:57 GMT *
Martin: Happy New Year Jan 1, 2021 11:53:22 GMT
walkingdecay: martinrowe Hah! Maybe I am subconsciously doing that. I was Fireball XL5 and various Thunderbirds through much of my childhood, after all. For years I didn't sit down, I landed. Jan 2, 2021 13:52:38 GMT
NewDave: All kicking off over there then. Jan 6, 2021 22:51:12 GMT
walkingdecay: Norman Mailer said that the US was a "pre-fascist" society. Hmm. Jan 7, 2021 23:08:53 GMT
NewDave: Not sure we should be too complacent. Look at the bums in power over here. And then there's this.... Jan 7, 2021 23:22:18 GMT
walkingdecay: And that, among countless other retrogressive reforms, is what the whole con job was really about. Jan 8, 2021 14:03:18 GMT
NewDave: Aint over yet. Not by a long way. Jan 9, 2021 19:49:36 GMT
NewDave: ♥ (you can't delete things posted by accident so I thought this would do) Jan 12, 2021 12:14:54 GMT *
walkingdecay: Litmus test for the both the state of the arts in Britain and its national prestige: Simon Rattle and the LSO won't be occupying a spanking new concert hall after all, and the great man himself is off to lead an orchestra in Munich. Jan 13, 2021 8:30:25 GMT
robmc: Maybe he's a fan of the beer festival, that must be it Jan 14, 2021 14:00:58 GMT
walkingdecay: Mmm, beer... Jan 14, 2021 14:18:23 GMT
martinrowe: Root 66 Jan 14, 2021 18:48:25 GMT
otis1960: Root 168 at close of play Jan 15, 2021 14:22:54 GMT


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Kei Hiruta's Posts
Stop Orientalism?: On Boston MFA's 'Kimono Wednesdays'
Published July 27, 2015 | By Kei Hiruta
'STOP ORIENTALISM'. So says the banner of the protest group, 'Stand Against Yellow Face' (SAYF), campaigning against a weekly event at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston. The event, called 'Kimono Wednesdays', originally encouraged museum visitors to 'interact' with Claude Monet's 'La Japonaise' by trying on a replica of the kimono that the artist's French wife wears in the painting. Immediately after the opening on 24 June, however, the event attracted the charges of Orientalism, racism, cultural appropriation and so on, resulting in MFA's announcement that visitors would no longer be able to put on the replicated kimono, though the display would continue until the end of July (See, e.g. here, here and here). Unsatisfied, SAYF demands a formal apology and the complete closure of the event itself. The group has also been channelling the protest into a larger advocacy, mobilising familiar online tools such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.
The outcry provoked a considerable backlash, yielding impassioned mutual accusations between protestors and counter-protestors. To break the stalemate, this post aims to challenge the presumption that both sides – those asserting 'This is Orientalist!', and those insisting 'This is NOT Orientalist!' – appear to share. I would like to show that the fact that 'Kimono Wednesdays' may reasonably be considered Orientalist is not by itself sufficient to establish the wrongness of the event.
Let me begin with an uncontroversial observation. In Japan today, we wear kimono only on special occasions such as weddings and seijin-shiki (celebrating the 20th year of birth). We wear lighter traditional clothes, for example, yukata, more frequently; but we do so, again, on special occasions such as a weekend trip to onsen (hot spring) and an evening out for a summer festival. In our daily lives we wear something less exciting, depending on our preferences and income levels: Prada, Paul Smith, Uniqlo and Primark. An average businessperson in Japan may have the opportunity to wear kimono every decade or two, but he or she wears a suit from Monday to Friday. If culture is a sum of the lived experiences of its participants, wearing kimono is not exactly a part of our culture any longer – not, at any rate, as Uniqlo and Primark are.
Yukio Mishima, best known for his novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, if not for his act of seppuku suicide in 1970, was one of the most perceptive writers to comment on this issue. In his column 'On Clothing', published in 1969, he observed that wearing kimono was no longer a part of the Japanese way of living. He saw something superficial and inauthentic to the kimono revival occurring in the country in the 1960s. He wrote: 'recently […] kimono seems to be adopted in terms of a new fashion, in terms of a renewed interest in something exotic. It is not a part of the rooted, ancient custom that it once was. […] Women no longer remember as part of their general education how to wear kimono by themselves […]. Men, too, have lost their natural, customary familiarity with kimono; they now wear it pretentiously, as it were, as a gesture to resist or surpass the convention of the age'.[i]
Mishima's insight deserves the attention of those commenting on 'Kimono Wednesdays'. On his account, which I share, even in the Japan of the late 1960s, kimono could not be worn without a doze of what we today call Orientalist fantasy. If those taking selfies in front of Monet's 'La Japonaise' in Boston in 2015 are orientalists, so were the Japanese men and women who joined the kimono revival in Tokyo in 1969. The difference is one of degree, not kind. And the degree is not great, either, because both groups of people are moderns, who can no longer claim an unbroken cultural linage from the past. One could of course argue that modernity itself was imposed on Japan by Western imperialists beginning with Commodore Perry with his proto-neo-liberal gunships. This ostensibly anti-imperialist view, however, disguises a historically inaccurate and morally condescending paternalism, implying that the nation modernised itself without an exercise of collective agency. The truth is that the nation has, sometimes reluctantly and yet at other times enthusiastically, embraced modernity. If we no longer remember how to wear kimono, it is in no small measure due to the decisions that the Japanese themselves have made at least since 1868.
The decline of the habit of kimono dressing, as Mishima also noted, was not and could not be a standalone loss. It entailed a loss of other, organically connected cultural ingredients, including the traditional class division and sexual hierarchy. In this respect, the disappearance of kimono dressers from the streets of Tokyo, Osaka, etc. is comparable to the disappearance of non-human creatures from modernised areas of the country. As significant decrease in the population of butterflies indicates a loss of their entire habitat, the disappearance of kimono dressers indicates a loss of the old Japan and its way of life that inspired nineteenth-century Japonisme.
As is well known, Mishima himself considered the modern Japanese society in which he found himself absurd, ugly and even grotesque, and half-seriously fancied a return to a pre-Meiji world of yesterday. Yet he had the candidacy to acknowledge the moral gain accompanying the aesthetic loss, though the artist, always willing to subordinate non-aesthetic values to aesthetic ones, denied that the former outweighed the latter. He thus said, in his characteristically dark, mocking and aphoristic tone: 'I think the time when women were always crying was wonderful!' Those of us who do not share his aestheticism are entitled to weigh moral and aesthetic values differently. We ought to be glad that we no longer live in a time when women in exquisitely beautiful kimono 'were quietly weeping, always, somewhere in the house'.[ii] Perhaps, we should be glad that kimono can no longer be worn anywhere without a dose of Orientalist fantasy.
It is a curious fact about our contemporary culture that, in places like Boston at least, the wrongness of Orientalism is considered so self-evident that those commenting on 'Kimono Wednesdays' have largely focused on whether the event is Orientalist, sidestepping harder questions as to specifically what is wrong if the event is Orientalist and (assuming, for the moment, that it is indeed Orientalist) whether the wrongness of Orientalism should override other considerations. But the latter set of questions demand greater attention not least because, as I have argued, the pervasiveness of Orientalism today might not be separable from the moral progress we have made in the past couple of centuries. Addressing the relevant moral and historical issues fully is a challenging task; for starters, we should recognise the triviality of the oft-made assertions about the MFA event: 'This is Orientalist!' 'No, it is NOT Orientalist!'
Photo Attribution: 'La Japonaise', by Claude Monet, 1876, via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
[i] Yukio Mishima, 'Fukusō ni tsuite' [1969], in Mishima yukio zenshū ['On Clothing', in Collected Works of Yukio Mishima] (Tokyo: Shinchō-sha, 1976), vol. 33, pp. 338–39. My translation.
[ii] Yukio Mishima, 'Poppukōn no shinrei-jutsu: Yokoo Tadanori-ron' [posthumous publication], in Mishima yukio zenshū [Popcorn Spiritualism: On Tadanori Yokoo, in Collected Works of Yukio Mishima], vol. 35, p. 228. My translation.
Posted in Kei Hiruta's Posts | Tagged art and politics, culture, modernity, Orientalism
Historical Reconciliation in East Asia: How Optimistic Should We Be?
Published June 1, 2014 | By Kei Hiruta
In the latest episode of the Public Philosopher, Michael Sandel invites young men and women from China, Japan and South Korea to discuss national guilt and historical reconciliation. The conversation begins with factual questions concerning, for example, the nature of Japan's past imperial expansion and the sincerity of the Japanese government's post-war apologies. It then moves on to issues of philosophical nature, such as whether the present generation is responsible for a wrong committed by a past generation. Listening to the programme, one gets the impression that the conversation was overall a fruitful one; it did not result in an important agreement, but some elementary misunderstanding and prejudices were removed, and the participants treated each other respectfully throughout. The host himself concluded by expressing the 'hope that one day, soon, you will be able to draw upon the spirit of honesty and reflectiveness [….] to build a deeper mutual understanding among these three countries and by doing so help make this world a better place'.
This is a nice way to bring the forty-minute conversation to a close, but I doubt Sandel is as optimistic as he portrayed himself. The reason for saying this is that he (like myself) must have taken part in similar discussions in the past to see how repetitive they tend to be. One can be fairly optimistic if one sees one single time people with conflicting convictions talking to each other to move towards reconciliation. But one cannot be so optimistic if one repeatedly sees similar conversations to realise that the small progress made on each occasion hardly amounts to a cumulative difference on a larger scale. Considering the target audience of the programme, the host is wise to present the episode as a one-time event and conclude it with a corresponding, optimistic note. Having observed and occasionally participated in similar discussions over the past dozen years, however, I cannot share the Harvard professor's hope for an imminent mutual understanding among the Chinese, the Japanese and the South Koreas. Nor do I believe that Sandel, a frequent visitor to the region as well as a learned scholar, literally meant what he said to conclude the episode.
The repetitiveness, however, does not need to disappoint. On the contrary, it is remarkable that the 2014 conversation scarcely differs from those in the recent past in terms of both mood and substance, while the tension in East Asia has significantly increased. Here, it may be worth recalling the Newsnight episode earlier this year, in which China's and Japan's ambassadors to the UK could not even sit in the same room and ended up in blaming each other from behind a wall. Contrast this to the ordinary young men and women that appeared on the Public Philosopher; unlike the ambassadors, they engaged with each other respectfully and face to face, as their predecessors had when the regional tension had been lower. This gives hope, for failing to reach a genuine mutual understanding is not nearly as bad as ceasing to try. I say this with some sadness, knowing Indian summers before the region entered the current diplomatic frost. To end this, we need more than small-scale conversations such as the one that Sandel hosted. But these are worth repeating, not least because they help avoid black smoke filling the sky while we await a thaw.
Posted in Kei Hiruta's Posts | Tagged East Asia, ethics of memory, historical reconciliation, international affairs, media, Michael Sandel
'Hello Kitty', Society, Utopia
Published May 11, 2014 | By Kei Hiruta
Several people have asked me why I wrote a post to defend Avril Lavigne's music video 'Hello Kitty'. I'm a little bemused by the question, as I thought my main motive was self-explanatory: it is a part of philosophers' job to consider when it's appropriate to use normative terms to blame someone or something. It's one thing to say that a singer is tasteless; it's quite another to say she's racist and indulges in cultural appropriation. One is an aesthetic claim; the other is a moral one.
I won't repeat what I said in my previous post but would like to share a relevant thought today: one doesn't need to be in a library or in a seminar room to reflect on moral questions. For example, if you're in a bar and vaguely watching something random on screen such as 'Hello Kitty', you could start asking yourself questions. Why is this controversial? Who are offended, and why do they feel offended? What are the terms the critics have used to blame the video? Are they right to use those terms? Did the singer respond? If she did, was that an adequate response? And if you find yourself agreeing with the critics, what changes would you like to see? In other words, what kind of popular culture would you like to see to emerge?
Of course, it's not healthy to be contemplating moral questions 24/7. You should indeed stop contemplating if you decide to get on the dance floor, for example. But it's worth remembering that we can begin a moral enquiry in a wide range of contexts. In fact, an ethically better world might be the one in which people talk and think about moral questions in bars, restaurants and coffee shops, rather than in libraries and seminar rooms.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
A version of this post originally appeared on globalethicsnetwork.org.
Posted in Kei Hiruta's Posts | Tagged blame, civil society, culture, ethics, utopia
In Defence of Avril Lavigne: Racism, Cultural Appropriation and the Meaning of 'Hello Kitty'
Published May 2, 2014 | By Kei Hiruta
The latest music video by the Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has been accused of racism and cultural appropriation.[i] Bearing the name of the world-famous Sanrio character, 'Hello Kitty' shows the pop star singing and dancing in what appears to be a girl's room in Tokyo. She also explores the city, shopping at a candy store, eating sushi, drinking shochu, and waving at her fans as she strolls in the fashionable Shibuya area. Throughout, she is accompanied by four young Japanese women, acting as backup dancers inside the room and following her outside. Continue reading →
Posted in Kei Hiruta's Posts | Tagged culture, entertainment, international affairs, media, politics, power, racism


If you are considering taking the leap and pursuing a career in design, I have some advice for you! Even if you aren't looking for a career change, or aren't at the beginning of your college journey, I hope you read this advice and get inspired to create!
A large portion of my blog is dedicated to preaching the importance of self love. So to piggyback off of that, my best advice is to love yourself enough to take the leap into the career you love. The realists of the world got to me high school and convinced me that music and design (my 2 passions in high school) were no way to make a living, so I chose pre-med. At the end of my first year, I was miserable and just before the start of my 2nd year I took the leap to transfer schools and pursue a career in design. I was terrified, and I honestly didn't know if I could do it. I did know, however, that if I didn't bet on myself to pursue something I loved, then I would always regret it!
Just as I said in the point above, there are no limits and there are no rules! Sure, in your career there are always clients and budgets that you will ultimately have to abide by, but the design process leading up to the final product has limitless possibilities.
My favorite part of design is that there is NO right answer! There are no word problems or long math problems to answer. The best part about school was that the final products were completely left up to me! Design, is a nutshell, is identifying a problem – any problem – and creating your own avenue to arrive at a solution.
Sometimes a project doesn't pan out the way you hoped it would, but that doesn't define you as a person or a designer. Seeing something you poured your heart into not live up to it's full potential can be really disheartening. Something else I love to touch on within my blog is this – out of our failures come our greatest successes. Sometimes, we can take a project that wasn't the success we had hoped for and turn it around with a new approach.
Alternatively, a successful project can make us feel like we are on top of the world. We have to remember that this is another learning opportunity just as our failures are. My advice to you once you produce your first A+ project, or deliver your first home run design to a client, is to use that as a platform to continue to learn. One successful project does not make us successful designers, but rather gives us a precedent to continue to develop and grow.
My career is in Architecture, but I love music, photography, writing, graphic design, and many more things. I encourage those of you looking to pursue design to explore many areas outside of one facet that you may be interested in. The ability to pull from many passions and interests can make your designs that much more compelling. From hiking, to cars, to math, reading, or computers, anything can lead you to an amazing design! Don't ever stop learning or looking for inspiration. You never know what could be the inspiration for you next masterpiece!
Have confidence in your work and trust that, over time, your work will grow as you grow. I remember feeling defeated quite a bit in school, and even today in my career I feel lost or worried that I won't be able to produce what is being asked of me.
Don't let your fears stop you from persisting, and please don't be impatient when it comes to your work. Allow yourself time to grow and learn. Allow yourself to fail, and I promise you will become a better designer because of it.
I hope you enjoyed these pieces of advice and found them helpful! One of my main goals this year is to inspire others to love themselves a little more. I hope this inspired you to take a chance on something you love.
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i bet it's incredible for designers to see their works come to life…super cute top too!
Thank you for sharing! I do agree about not being scared to pursue your passion as your career. It might be scary and harder but it will be so worth it when you are loving your job everyday. That old saying is correct, make your passion your job and you'll never work a day in your life.


Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease 2 – what you need to know!
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease is a serious disease in rabbits, and can be fatal. It is also known as Viral Haemorrhagic Disease or Rabbit Calicivirus.
There are two strains of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease – strains 1 and 2. Vaccines protecting against Strain 1 have been used in the UK for many years. The first case of RHD2 was noted in December 2014, and there is now a vaccination available for this strain in addition. We have sadly recently confirmed an RHD2 case at Milton Keynes Veterinary Group.
The virus can be transmitted through direct contact with an infected rabbit via its oral, nasal or conjunctival secretions, as well as urine and faeces. It may also be transmitted via contaminated objects such as enclosures, ground, cloth and infected hay or other foods. Fleas and mosquitos are also another factor that can contribute to spread of the disease.
High risk rabbits may include show rabbits, shelter rabbits or those recently adopted. Low risk rabbits will be indoor rabbits who have no contact with other rabbits (wild or domestic).
This disease has a high mortality rate, and with most cases it is fatal in unvaccinated rabbits. The disease is also highly contagious and just one infected rabbit will rapidly spread this virus to others in the area.
The RHD2 strain is less aggressive than RHD1, with rabbits becoming ill over several days rather than sudden onset. Symptoms, although rare, can include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite and spasms.
Unfortunately there is no treatment for this disease, and this coupled with its sudden onset means it is unlikely we will see a good outcome.
Fortunately this disease can be prevented. Through routine yearly vaccination, both strains of RHD can be prevented for your rabbit. However, although vaccination is a big preventative measure against this disease, there are other factors that should be considered to minimise further risk. This includes reducing the risk of infection from other animals by preventing contact with wild rabbits, birds or rodents. If you have any questions regarding this disease, please contact the practice for further advice.


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At Explore Wealth Management, we believe in a financial planning service based on complete trust and understanding and have our clients financial well-being in mind every step of the way.
We really understand the issues people face when deciding to give up work, which is why we have become the North East's retirement planning specialist.
Why should you choose Explore Wealth Management?
We firmly believe in giving guidance and advice rather than simply providing you with information.
To us, financial advice is not about persuading you to buy a finance product, it is about providing you with sound advice and recommendations to help you make the most of your money.
Our advisers will always provide you with an honest appraisal of your situation.
As part of our service, we will take you through a cash flow planning process where we look at your current assets and your future plans and use these to formulate a personalised financial plan to show you how you can achieve your financial goals.
We are directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and not part of or controlled by any larger organisation.
This means we can offer totally unbiased recommendations from the whole of the financial market place without any influence from an external shareholder such as a Bank or Building Society.
Sometimes people think that financial advisers only deal with individuals of significant wealth. While we assist people from all walks of life, we specialise in those aged 55+ with pensions and/or investments valued at or above £100,000.
These are the people we feel we can provide significant value for money for in terms of financial planning.
If you are dissatisfied in any way with the service you receive at Explore Wealth Management, we guarantee that we will not charge you for the service you have received.
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Window Genie is Olympia's leader in home services. We specialize in window cleaning, pressure washing, gutter cleaning and more. Our commitment to customer satisfaction and professionalism is what sets us apart from the competition. With over 20 years of experience, Window Genie has earned the trust of homeowners throughout Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater and the surrounding areas. You can feel safe knowing our team of field technicians are fully trained, insured, bonded and drive custom wrapped GENIEMOBILES for easy identification. Estimates are always fast and free!
Great work . Reasonable prices. Kind and respectful.
These guys did a wonderful job of both Christmas Lights and window cleaning. The lads they sent over were professional and courteous as they worked inside and outside of our home. In fact, we were so happy we are thinking of having them back for roof and gutter cleaning!


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Uncle Tom's Cabin - The Book
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» Uncle Tom's Cabin - The Book
By: Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)
Among the most "banned" books in the United States, Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is a novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe which treats slavery as a central theme. Stowe was a Connecticut-born teacher at the Hartford Female Academy and an active abolitionist. The novel is believed to have had a profound effect on the North's view of slavery. In fact, when he met Harriet Beecher Stowe, President Lincoln is said to have commented, "So you're the little lady whose book started the Civil War." First published on March 20, 1852, the story focuses on the tale of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave, the central character around whose life the other characters—both fellow slaves and slave owners—revolve. The novel depicts the harsh reality of slavery while also showing that Christian love and faith can overcome even something as evil as enslavement of fellow human beings. (Summary by Wikipedia and John Greenman)
Note From the Reader: The listener is about to enter a world rich with diverse characters. In order to differentiate between the characters, the reader has given each, his/her own voice. As an adult male reader, however, the reader's representation of women and children will, necessarily be less than adequate. He asks for your indulgence.
Tags: uncle tom's cabin book
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The official game based on Brad Pitt's film. Although it seems that every blockbuster released this year has a tie-in Temple Run-like game, the guys in Paramount have broken this unwritten law and gone for something more original, something they announce as a survival-action-race against time-whatsoever game for better or worse, which sounds pretty….
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Home » Featured, Financial & Insurance, Hires, Industry Moves »
Manulife hires new CMO
Gretchen Garrigues takes on the company's global marketing and branding leadership, with an eye towards growth.
Gretchen Garrigues has been hired by Canadian insurance and financial services company Manulife as its new EVP and global CMO.
In a new position at the company, Garrigues will be responsible for Manulife's global marketing and communications, focusing on global branding and ensuring the company's marketing strategies and customer experiences support business growth on a global scale.
Garrigues will also be a member of Manulife's executive committee and lead its global marketing leadership team, which includes marketing leaders from all of the countries it operates. Outside of Canada, Manulife operates in 11 countries within Asia, as well as in the U.S., primarily under the John Hancock banner it acquired in 2004.
Garrigues will report to Paul Rooney, Manulife's senior EVP and COO.
Garrigues joins from New York-based commerce tech company First Data, where she spent over two years as its CMO, helping to lead marketing efforts around the company's 2015 IPO. Prior to that, she held a number of marketing leadership positions in multiple markets over a 16-year stint with GE Capital.
In February, the company hired former Tim Hortons VP of marketing Glenn Hollis as its first Canadian CMO, who will now report to Garrigues. Previously organized by different lines of business, Manulife has been restructuring its marketing to be more integrated, and this marks the first time a marketer has had this level of oversight at Manulife.
"We have embarked on a strategy that is far more customer-focused, which requires a senior leader who can build marketing capabilities in the organization and drive the development of a customer-centric culture across all functions," Rooney said in a press release of Garrigues' role. "Gretchen's deep understanding of marketing, particularly in the areas of brand development, digital and analytics, coupled with her strong financial acumen, make her a great fit to drive Manulife's customer-centric strategy."
Here in Canada, Manulife debuted a new campaign last month for the launch of its upcoming Vitality life insurance program.
Photo courtesy Matt Greenslade
Gretchen Garrigues, Manulife, Manulife Financial
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"I cast my lot with those who do not understand the way God is able to foresee future free acts. The Bible makes it quite clear that God does possess foreknowledge of all future events, including free acts" (Dr. F. Leroy Forlines, Classical Arminianism: A Theology of Salvation. Nashville: Randall House, 2011, page 75).
I had a conversation with a friend yesterday afternoon about a friend of ours who has been struggling through issues of theology. This mutual friend and I met once some months ago, to discuss how predestination and election work in salvation. She assumed (at the time) that one could be a godless person and still be "chosen" by God, without regard to genuineness of heart or anything else. At the time, she told me that if that's how God does things, He was unfair to do so. After all, "Wouldn't God want someone who had a broken spirit and a contrite heart?" she said.
I began to show her that passages such as Ephesians 1 and Romans 8 refer to believers, those who have believed, not the world in general. Thus, God predestining believers poses no problems for me at least, since it is believers "in Christ" who are chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). I do not struggle with the predestinarian and electing language of the Scriptures...so I try to pass on my God-given knowledge to others.
Well, in this post, I'm gonna spend some time talking about mystery. I rarely do. Here at the Center for Theological Studies, you will rarely find me saying that anything is a "mystery." I rarely use that word because I think it is too often used to escape the God-given human responsibility believers have to come to know our theology. We should know the deep things of God because we should study. And when the Lord commanded people to follow Him, He did not say, "Follow me if you have a couple of degrees and can speak some of the biblical languages"; instead, He commanded all to follow Him, whether literate or illiterate, rich or poor, famous or infamous. Every believer should be a disciple of Christ...and every believer should desire to study so as to learn more about the Christ he or she is following.
In the quote above, Dr. F. Leroy Forlines states that he does not know how God foreknows future free acts. In Molinism, such "mystery" is labeled "the grounding objection." The grounding objection is one of the most often-used attacks against Molinism. I rarely use it much to oppose Molinism...but that's because I think, more important than the grounding objection, is the theology behind the system itself. I analyze Molinism based on its five points and whether or not I can see them in Scripture. Dr. Forlines openly admits that the Bible teaches human free acts and divine foreknowledge...but does not tell us how God foreknows what He foreknows. At the very least, we are to confirm what Scripture teaches, even if all the philosophical underpinnings are not made clear to us on earth. God demands that we understand Him as three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), even though we may grapple with how the Trinity operates. There are many things in theology that we must admit we do not have all the answers to.
"I believe God's foreknowledge of free acts is also necessarily implied from God's foreknowledge of His own actions. It would have been impossible for God to have had foreknowledge of sending Jesus Christ into the world apart from knowledge of the free acts of human beings, that is, unless a person takes the position of unlimited determinism. For God to have had foreknowledge of the exact identity of the human nature of Jesus Christ required that He have foreknowledge of His exact ancestry. For God to have this knowledge required that He have a foreknowledge of free acts of human beings" (Forlines, Classical Arminianism, 75).
Dr. Forlines' statement about God sending Jesus into the world foreknowing the actions of human beings sounds very much like Peter's statement in Acts 2:23---the Jews put Jesus to death, but this was done by the "foreknowledge and predetermination of God." God, foreknowing the sin of Adam and Eve, as well as the actions of Judas, Pilate, the nation of Israel, etc., determined in eternity to send Jesus to redeem humanity back to Himself. But make no mistake: Not at any time did the Father ever think the plan was going to fail. Why? Because He foreknows all things! If Jesus foreknew of the Sanhedrin's decision to sentence Him to death, His condemnation and crucifixion (Matt. 16:21; 17:22; 20:17; Mark 8:31; 9:30; 10:32; Luke 9:21, 43; 18:31; John 12:27), then the Father foreknows all things as well.
"I do not understand the mode in which He foreknows future contingencies, and especially those which belong to the free-will of creatures, and which He has decreed to permit, but do not of Himself" (James Arminius, quoted by F. Leroy Forlines, Classical Arminianism, page 74).
Believers can never know (without God's unique revelation) how the Lord foreknows future human actions, but we can all affirm that we know God foreknows them. The Bible's sufficiency is seen in the fact that we have what we need to know: that is, that God foreknows our actions before we ever think of committing them. How God knows is something that remains hidden in the counsel of God. We can speculate, attempt to probe with the biblical text we have, but speculation will always lead to more debate---since we must admit our limited, finite knowledge in such matters. What we can affirm with certainty is that God exhaustively foreknows all things, down to the smallest details.
This post has shown that there are some discussions within theology and philosophy where the answer is "unknown," remains a mystery; nevertheless, there are many things about theology and philosophy (via the Scriptures) that can be known. To caution believers, I would give this advice: if you find yourself plugging the word "mystery" onto every debate that you've not read on and researched yourself, chances are you're probably neglecting your God-given responsibility to sort through it. Even if, after much study and research one still cannot find the missing pieces to the puzzle, at least you can say that you've searched out the Scriptures and theology. What harm is done if, after all your pursuit, you still end up empty? Have you not pleased God with your diligence?


BORN: Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, April 15, 1969.
Selected by Chicago Blackhawks as underage junior in first round (first Blackhawks pick, eighth overall) of National Hockey League entry draft, June 13, 1987.
Loaned to Hershey Bears (AHL) for part of 1991-92 season.
Traded by Blackhawks to San Jose Sharks for future considerations (D Neil Wilkinson, July 9, 1993), June 19, 1993.
Traded by Sharks to Chicago Blackhawks for fourth-round selection (Tomi Kallarsson) in 1997 entry draft, February 6, 1995.
Claimed (from Blackhawks) by Phoenix Coyotes in National Hockey League waiver draft, September 28, 1997.
Signed as a free agent by Toronto Maple Leafs, August 19, 1999.
Named to Quebec Major Junior Hockey League All-Star Second Team, 1986-87.
Winner, Raymond Lagace Trophy, 1986-87.
Named Best Goaltender at World Junior Championships, 1988.
Named to World Junior Championships All-Star Team, 1988.
Named to International Hockey League All-Star First Team, 1989-90.
Winner, James Norris Memorial Trophy, 1989-90.
Broke collarbone, December 6, 1988.
Sprained ankle; missed one game, October 12, 1991.
Sprained knee; missed two games, January 11, 1994.
Underwent arthroscopic knee surgery; missed eight games, March 7, 1994.
Sprained thumb; missed eighteen games, January 9, 1998.
Bruised hand; missed two games, February 6, 1999.
Selected by Chicago Blackhawks in 1987 National Hockey League entry draft.
Traded by Blackhawks to San Jose Sharks.
05/08/1994 - 20 7 9 3-8 / Toronto Home Potvin Replaced Irbe].
Traded by Sharks to Chicago Blackhawks.
Claimed by Phoenix Coyotes during waiver draft.


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Stressipedia | Having Difficulty Giving Up Smoking? Don't Be Depressed!
Having Difficulty Giving Up Smoking? Don't Be Depressed!
Are you smoking more and enjoying it less? Well, researchers may have found the reason why.
It's been known for years that smokers develop permanent facial lines radiating out around their lips, from years of sucking on rolled up vegetable leaves. Well, in addition to associating smokers with puckered faces, it seems we can also associate them with long faces.
There are thousands of chemicals other than nicotine constituents in cigarette smoke, of which one, or several, may affect mood in much the same way as a group of antidepressant medications called monoamine oxidase inhibitors or (MAOIs). These MAOIs effectively increase levels of specific neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of mood. Smoking, therefore, may be a way for depressed individuals to self-medicate depressive symptoms.
Dr. Alexander Glassman, of New York State Psychiatric Institute, discussed his findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association. He notes that people with a history of depression are more likely to smoke, and 40% less likely to quit for good. It seems that even smokers who aren't now depressed, but have suffered major depression at some time in their past, are just as likely to have trouble as those who are currently depressed.
It just goes to prove the old adage, that it is not enough for a doctor to discover what kind of an addiction each patient has, but one must find out what kind of a person each addiction has. In other words, by just using generic treatments for smokers without heeding the rest of their health problems, doctors and patients alike can fail, in spite of the best intentions. One of the common features of these cases is that the ex-smoker becomes very depressed after stopping cigarettes. Because of this Dr. Glassman is studying whether anti-depressant drugs can help such smokers quit successfully.
If you are planning to quit smoking, by all means do it now. But if you have had a history of depression, make sure you see your doctor for advice, and, if indicated, for short term antidepressant medications.


Since 1988 EAVE has developed a unique European network of producers, industry experts, funders, markets and festivals. Graduates are able to obtain unlimited access to our online services.
Use the form below to find Network members. You can search by keyword and/or by the programmes members have attended, as well as by member group (participants, experts and EAVE team members).
You can also find a list of participants and experts for each programme on that programme's page.


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Two local women compete for Asparagus Queen crown.
Tara Oomen. left, and Grace Huffman.
SHELBY — Two local women — Tara Oomen and Grace Huffman — are competing for the Asparagus Queen crown to represent Oceana County's asparagus industry.
One woman will be crowned queen and the other first runner-up Saturday, June 5, at Shelby High School during the queen pageant which begins at 5 p.m.
"There is no food portion this year (during the pageant) due to the uncertainty of the event and COVID restrictions," states a post on the National Asparagus Festival Facebook page.
2019 Asparagus Queen Alysha Sullivan and First Runner-Up Lori Beggs will be on hand for the event.
There was no 2020 asparagus queen due to COVID-19. The festival, which would have been the 47th annual event, was also cancelled. This year, the festival is scaled back to only two events — the queen pageant and the Ryan Walsworth Spear It 5K — due to COVID-19. There will be no parade or other events.
Check the NAF Facebook page or visit www.nationalasparagusfestival.org for further updates on this year's queen pageant, such as how to purchase tickets.
Tara Oomen:
Tara Oomen
Tara was born and raised on her family's fruit and vegetable farm In Hart, which grows around 225 acres of asparagus. Her passion for agriculture was instilled in her at an early age by her dad. She went to Michigan State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in agribusiness management and a minor in agronomy. She just got accepted to Purdue University and Indiana University's Kelly School of Business for a joint master's in agriculture economics and the MBA program. She currently works for BASF, a chemical company, as an agronomic solutions advisor covering West Michigan. Tara has always enjoyed working in the specialty fruit and vegetable market throughout her career. Tara is also the president of the Oceana County Farm Bureau. She enjoys hunting, especially archery, hiking, sports, snowmobiling, traveling and anything outdoors. Tara plans to always be heavily involved in the agriculture industry in her career, advocating for Michigan growers, and helping out on her family farm. She says being the daughter of an asparagus farmer has really helped her learn the critical aspects of the industry and has provided her with a unique perspective into the art of growing Michigan asparagus.
Tara is sponsored by Oomen Veggie Co. and supported by Farm Bureau.
Grace Huffman
Grace Huffman:
Grace Huffman has lived in New Era since she was 13. Before living in Wisconsin and South Dakota, she lived in Montague from a young age. Grace is currently an LPN continuing her education to become an RN in West Shore Community College's ADN Program. She went to Shelby High School but graduated from ASM Tech Early College in 2020 where she earned her high school diploma as well as an associate's degree. Grace plans to transfer to Ferris State University to obtain her bachelor of science in nursing and dreams of a role advocating for women in health care. Grace has accomplished a lot during her years in Oceana County. Some of Grace's favorite involvements have been representing Shelby High School in softball and volleyball as well as at AAASA Girl's State and LLC Rotary Camp in 2018. She has also participated in many food drives and pride days while living in Oceana County. Grace has worked at New Era Wesco since she was 16 but is saying goodbye to serve her county in a way that furthers her education.
Grace is sponsored by Wesco of New Era.
Photos courtesy of Judi Luptak


Tahitian cultured pearls are beautiful gems from a mysterious, picturesque land. Their exotic colors have captivated consumers' imaginations since they appeared on the market in the 1970s.
Each Tahitian pearl is unique. Sultry dark tones and a breathtaking range of natural color make these rare pearls prized throughout the world. Jewelers and pearl farmers must go through hundreds of pearls to find the perfect pick to create a single Tahitian pearl jewelry piece. Even finding two similar pearls to create a matching pair of earrings can be a daunting task, requiring many hours of work.
Is Tahitian pearl valuable? The value of pearls is typically determined by a combination of six value factors, namely size, shape, color, luster, surface condition, and nacre quality. It is no different when determining what Tahitian pearl is worth. These guidelines will help you choose Tahitian pearl jewelry for your collection.
Most spherical Tahitian cultured pearls measure between 9 and 14 millimeters, with the most common diameters between 9 and 11 mm. Occasionally, a Tahitian cultured pearl will reach 16 mm or even 18 mm!
Approximately 40-percent of Tahitian cultured pearls are round or near-round in shape. For many, a round pearl is the ideal shape, and round Tahitian pearls are the most popular option in jewelry.
About 23-percent of Tahitian cultured pearls are circled. When other value factors are equal, circled pearls are less valuable than pearls without circles. But circled pearls have their appeal. Some jewelry designers and consumers even prefer them.
In recent years, baroque shapes have become more popular among designers and consumers as many like their unique irregularity. Tahitian keshi pearls have their appeal for the same reasons that people like baroque shapes. Keshi shapes are irregular, and each one is unique. Some cultured pearl buyers like the fact that keshi pearls are composed entirely of nacre.
Tahitian cultured pearls are probably best known for their exotic colors. They are associated mainly with three deep, vibrant colors with exotic names.
(i). Peacock is the trade name for a dark green-gray to blue-gray body color with pink to purple overtones. It's often the color that's most highly valued.
(ii). Aubergine is used to describe Tahitian cultured pearls with a dark grayish purple body color. Aubergine means eggplant, and perfectly describes this color.
(iii). Pistachio is the trade term for a yellowish green to greenish yellow body color.
Gray and black are the most common body colors of Tahitian cultured pearls. Brown is less common. Overtone colors include blue to green, purple, yellowish green, and pink. Overtone can sometimes be so strong that it obscures or might be confused with body color.
The luster of Tahitian cultured pearls ranges from fair to excellent. Some can approach a metallic sheen. It gives them an exotic look, especially when that luster combines with a different overtone.
The surface of a Tahitian cultured pearl can range from spotless (extremely rare) to heavily blemished. Some Tahitian cultured pearls might be clean or lightly blemished over most of their surface but heavily blemished in one small area. In jewelry, those pearls are often positioned so the setting hides the blemish.
During the pearl-growth period, the Tahitian black-lipped mollusk produces nacre that is 0.8 mm to 2 mm thick. Tahitian cultured pearl nacre thickness is usually listed as "Acceptable." It means they generally don't have a visible nucleus or chalky appearance that might be evident in other pearl types. Thick nacre is not necessarily high-quality nacre, but it does ensure durability.
Cultured pearls are a little dull when they're first harvested. Before they're offered for sale, they're washed in fresh water, dried, and lightly buffed, generally by dropping in a mix of finely ground salt and bamboo chips. Tahitian pearls are cleaned before they are offered in the market. They are natural, and no additional treatment has been done by the farmer. Pearls may be treated after sale, but this is uncommon. Treatments include bleaching, dyeing, and irradiation.
Ranking 2.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale of hardness, pearls are very soft and easily scratched or abraded. However, pearls usually have good toughness. With care, they can be a jewelry item worn frequently.
For routine care, wipe your pearl jewelry with a lightly damp, soft cloth after each wearing. Pearl jewelry should be the last item you put on, and the first item you remove.
Avoid ultrasonic cleaners and contact with chemicals such as lotions, hairspray, and makeup. These can be absorbed, damaging your Tahitian pearl jewelry.
To avoid scratching, store your pearls wrapped in a soft cloth or a lined jewelry box.
Periodically, pearl strands may need restringing. This can be performed by most trained jewelers. Frequently worn pearl strands should be restrung about once per year. It is recommended to have a jeweler examine your pearl strand if a gap is beginning to appear between the drill hole of your pearl and the knot in the thread.
Who Can Wear Tahitian Pearl?
Tahitian cultured pearls have an effect that exceeds most people's expectations due to their size and color. With this array of unusual colors and large sizes, round Tahitian cultured pearls offer jewelry designers unique opportunities. But strands of big, round, fine quality, and exotically colored pearls are not within everyone's reach. Designers and marketers use creative ways to make Tahitian cultured pearls affordable for everyone. One way is to use Tahitian cultured pearls in earrings, rings, and pendants. These items use fewer pearls and are therefore more affordable than traditional pearl strands.
How Does Tahitian Pearl Compare to Other Pearls?
All pearls are unique, but Tahitian cultured pearls stand out as exotic. It is especially true of black pearls with colorful overtones. There's no other pearl type with a color called "aubergine." A necklace of clean, round, 14 mm, excellently matched, aubergine Tahitian cultured pearls is truly stunning!
South Sea pearls display golden honey hues while Akoya pearls are loved for their classic white to cream body color. The distinctive color of Tahitian cultured pearls is directly related to the color of the mollusk's mother-of-pearl lining. There is no other pearl in the sea like Tahitian cultured pearl!
Where Does Tahitian Pearl Come From?
Black-lip pearl oysters are farmed in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, the Micronesian Islands, and to some extent Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines. Only the dark beauties grown in exotic French Polynesia can genuinely call themselves Tahitian cultured pearls.
Shop LC sources our supply of Tahitian cultured pearls directly from French Polynesia.
How are Tahitian Pearls Grown?
These glorious dark pearls are grown in the warm clear waters of French Polynesia by large black-lip oysters called Pinctada margaritifera. Pearl is not considered a true mineral due to its organic origins. However, pearls are formed from aragonite or a mixture of aragonite and calcite.
When oyster larvae are attached permanently to a surface, they are called spat. To grow pearls, workers must cultivate spat. As wild mollusk populations have been severely depleted, they're now protected from harvesting. Since there are no hatcheries in French Polynesia, the only way to obtain enough adults for pearl production is to collect spat and nurture them into adulthood.
Cultured pearls are French Polynesia's biggest export. The government has established minimum standards for Tahitian cultured pearl nacre thickness. Tahitian pearls are bead-nucleated with thick, colorful layers of nacre. It takes more than three years for spat to get ready for nucleation. The thinnest nacre allowed by French Polynesian law for export is 0.8 mm, which is considered extremely thick.
After a pearl is removed from the black-lipped oyster another nucleus can be inserted, and another pearl can form. A black lipped oyster can be nucleated around 3 times before the mollusk is spent. Each time, the inserted nucleus is larger, meaning a larger pearl is produced.
Pearl farmers rent their lagoon farming areas from the government. The French Polynesian government permits collection of spat only—no juveniles or adults. Tahitian cultured pearls are sold mostly through direct sales to visiting dealers, like the Shop LC buying team.
What Does Tahitian Pearl Mean?
In Tahitian legend, the Polynesian god Lono came down to earth on a rainbow for a princess, bringing black pearls as a gift with him. The god offered it to the princess as a token of his undying love and affection.
A pearl necklace is believed to warn sensitive people of imminent disaster. It is also said that psychologically, pearls promote wisdom and contentment well into old age.
Black pearls are also linked to Capricorn.
Is Tahitian Pearl a Birthstone?
Pearl is the traditional birthstone for June. Many love them for their white, cream, peach and pink hues. Tahitian cultured pearls, with their sultry dark and colorful tones, is an exceptional alternative as a June birthstone, or for anyone who admires pearls!
Ranks 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
Color displays dark green-gray to blue-gray body color with pink to purple overtones.
Tahitian cultured pearl from Shop LC undergo no additional known treatment.
Also known as black pearl.