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5 Ways You Can Improve the World With Almost No Effort
There is a certain point at which problems just seem insurmountable. What the hell are you going to do that will suddenly fix world hunger or global warming, or stop people from fighting wars? You're not a billionaire or a politician. It's easier to just throw up your hands, go back to bed, and let someone else take care of it, especially since naps are fantastic.
But the good news is that for absolutely no effort or cost whatsoever, you can make profound differences in the world. These are meaningless little things that you probably didn't even know made an impact at all, and they can be easily scheduled in between your nine daily siestas.
#5. Keep Your Damn Cat Indoors (Before It Obliterates the Ecosystem)
This being the Internet, most of you adore cats. And what's not to love? They're easy to domesticate and are one of the lowest-maintenance pets out there. The trouble is that your beloved kitty's fondness for catching pests can become a huge problem the second you let your snookums outside. How huge? Well, cats are now listed among the world's top 100 invasive species. And yes, we mean domestic cats -- not feral. So, yeah, your putty tat's pwedatowy pwowess is way less adorable once McFluffin starts decimating local ecosystems.
"Now I am become death, the destroyer of- OH, STRING!"
The problem is that most of us tend to vastly underestimate the impact of domestic cats in the wild. Thanks to human breeding and protection, their population density is actually 100 times higher than feral cats in the same environment, and most ecosystems simply aren't prepared for those numbers. Domestic cats also have fewer risks from predators, as they have safe homes to retreat to whenever, say, stray dogs enter their territory. That means domesticated outdoor cats have all the benefits and hunting skills of feral cats and none of the drawbacks that force other animals to be more cautious. The result is basically a natural apocalypse every time cat owners open the front door.
But maybe you're convinced that your outdoor cat isn't an insatiable killing machine -- after all, you feed the little guy. Why would he feel the need to hunt?
See, that's what everybody thought. So they did an experiment: A University of Georgia researcher tied small video cameras to cat collars and obtained nearly 2,000 hours of footage of kitties roaming the suburban wilds. They watched as these well-fed cats hunted prey ranging from mice to chickens, not even bothering to eat them. Yep, these cats were specifically hunting for pleasure, often hiding the evidence, all the while roaming through forests, across rooftops, and deep in sewage systems. Just murdering everything they saw.
"Meow-mar's coming!"
Even worse, these cats are putting endangered species at risk. Cats in England kill an estimated 275 million animals annually, and this U.S.-based report compiles sources implicating domestic cats in the extinction of 33 bird species, on top of a kill count of 1 billion birds. Overall, this knowledge changes one's perspective of the Internet Cat Video Festival, which now comes across as a heartwarming death cult.
So keep your freaking cat indoors! If you're already feeding your cat, letting it outside only creates a feline serial killer that murders for pleasure, decimates local wildlife, and occasionally even risks its own life for cheap thrills. At the very least, it's easier to hug your tabby when you know it hasn't been rolling around in bird blood and your neighbors' feces.
"I made his cat watch."
#4. Sneeze into Your Sleeve
For all of our medical advances, some of the world's biggest killers are run-of-the-mill viral infections. Respiratory diseases like influenza and pneumonia are the third most common way to die worldwide, as they take out up to half a million people per year (and you're doubly screwed if you live in a poorer country). And let's face it: We suck at disease prevention. We live our lives like we're still completely in the dark about how these things spread -- we go to work sick, we cough on each other on the train, we don't think to disinfect shit like our keyboards and doorknobs unless somebody sneezes on them right in front of us (and hell, probably not even then).
But the truth is that you don't have to wear one of those sterile space suits if you want to stop the spread of your unholy pestilence -- it just takes a few really simple and almost effortless steps. Washing your hands frequently is a great start, but here's one that's even easier:
When you feel a sneeze coming on, smash your face into your elbow and sneeze directly into your sleeve.
Note our selection of the word "smash."
You see, there are three ways respiratory diseases like the flu can be transmitted: through the air, water droplets, and physical contact. Coughs and sneezes create overlapping transmission opportunities, as they're a triple whammy of infected air and snot droplets that blast out of your pie-hole and splatter onto nearby surfaces. Blocking a cough with your hand or a tissue isn't entirely effective, since the air rushes around your fingers or directly through the tissue. But more than a few researchers have found that using your upper arm or elbow as a sneeze guard actually restricts more transmission avenues than any other method short of locking yourself in a bunker until your cold passes.
Scientists reviewing high-speed video footage of people coughing noticed that your arm does a few unique things that hands and tissues can't quite achieve. To start, it drastically slows down the speed of air exiting the body, which lowers the velocity of droplets trying to get as far away from you as possible. It also splits and redirects the airflow so that droplets have limited directions to go instead of the usual "anywhere within noseshot." Finally, it keeps drippy snot wreaths off of your pristine mitts so that viruses aren't being rubbed on doorknobs, faucets, and light switches by your dirty, filthy paws.
Oh God ... we're the damn dirty apes!
"Sleezing" isn't a foolproof practice, and it's no substitute for vaccination -- but it's enough to make scientists and medical professionals worldwide sit up and take notice. Everyone from the Center for Disease Control to the freaking MythBusters have endorsed sleeve-sneezing. And all it requires is an arm -- preferably your own, but a total stranger's will do in a pinch.
#3. Recycle Your Old Phones
One reason why electronic gadgets will never be as cheap as, say, candy bars is that they contain precious metals. Obviously these metals are considered "precious" for a reason -- there is a limited amount of them in the world, and obtaining more of them is a huge pain in the ass. Specifically, it requires massive, highly elaborate mining operations that, oh by the way, create tons of waste products.
"But at least I can poop and watch Castle simultaneously."
Gold mines in particular have been compared to nuclear waste dumps, thanks to their ability to produce deposits of cyanide and other pollutants. So there's quite a bit of environmental baggage attached to your shiny new iPhone, and odds are you're going to dump it for a new one in a year or two. The same goes for your laptop -- where you find circuit boards, you find elements that had to be ripped out of the Earth at great cost to people and the environment.
The good news is that even if your phone or computer is outdated, the minerals used to make them are still periodic-table fresh. The gold, copper, silver, palladium, and other precious metals contained in aging electronics can all be melted down and reused as raw materials for the electronics of the future. Circuit boards, for example, contain anywhere from 30 to 40 times more copper than what you'd get out of the equivalent weight of mined ore. Gold is even better, since circuit boards hold up to 800 times an equal amount of gold ore dug up from underground mines. Technology manufacturing has already done the work by putting these resources in one place; the only thing left to do is recycle them once we've finished.
"Scrooge McDuck ain't got nothin' on me!"
"But wait!" our theoretical cynic out there asks. "It's not like recycling would eliminate the need for mines. Surely we're not getting rid of electronics quickly enough to meet the demand." Well, the demand is pretty high, but you're underestimating just how disposable our technology is. Anywhere from 100 to 130 million cellphones are tossed into the trash each year in America alone. Considering that 1 million phones produce about 35 kilograms of gold, phone recycling has a higher output than many gold-producing nations. The problem? Only 1 percent of those phones are recycled.
And that's just phones. The EPA reports that in 2009, approximately 2.37 million tons of electronics were discarded into the waste stream. That includes televisions, computers, printers, and even computer mice. Recycling these items could provide incentives to cut down on the environmental waste produced by mining operations and prevent electronic waste salvagers in developing nations from risking their lives for a pittance.
"You have 8 pounds of gold and you lost three fingers. Here's some expired McDonald's coupons."
So what is the laborious and expensive process to recycle your old gadgets? Well, it involves dropping them in a box, for free, the next time you're out buying something. Within North America, retailers like Best Buy, Staples, and even Walmart will collect most, if not all, of your used electronics (just do a search here for a location near you), meaning you could literally donate your out-of-date computer the very day you pick up a new one. There's basically no reason not to do it, other than pure spite.


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Behrens MM, Ali SS, Dao DN, Lucero J, Shekhtman G, Quick KL, Dugan LL. Ketamine-induced loss of phenotype of fast-spiking interneurons is mediated by NADPH-oxidase. Science. 2007 Dec 7 ; 318(5856):1645-7. Pubmed Abstract
Behrens MM, Ali SS, Dao DN, Lucero J, Shekhtman G, Quick KL, Dugan LL. Ketamine-induced loss of phenotype of fast-spiking interneurons is mediated by NADPH-oxidase. Science. 2007 Dec 7 ; 318(5856):1645-7. Pubmed Abstract
The paper by Behrens and colleagues provides exciting new data to suggest that NADPH oxidase plays an important role in the impact of the NMDA receptor antagonist, ketamine, upon parvalbumin-containing (PVC) fast-spiking GABA interneurons. The authors show that ketamine causes an activation of NADPH oxidase, resulting in increases in superoxide production. The elevation in free radicals, presumably toxic to these neurons, is associated with reduction in the expression of parvalbumin and GAD67. These effects of ketamine could be prevented by inhibition of NADPH oxidase.
These data were interpreted by the authors to help explain the schizophrenia-like effects of ketamine in healthy humans. I think that these data provide important insights into the impact of reductions in NMDA receptor function, and they may be relevant to schizophrenia. First, the data amplify the implications of the work of Kinney, Cunningham, and others who have shown that PVC interneurons express the NR2A subunit of the NMDA receptor and that deficits in NMDA receptor function may contribute to reduced GAD expression by these neurons. Since PVC deficits in GAD expression have been described in postmortem cortical tissue from people diagnosed with schizophrenia, the current data suggest that some of these findings may be attributable to activation of NADPH oxidase. It would be interesting to know whether there is an interaction between this consequence of deficits in NMDA receptor function, a feature associated with schizophrenia, and reductions in the cortical levels of glutathione, also associated with this disorder. Glutathione is a free radical scavenger. In other words, the emergence of GABA neuronal deficits may be an unfortunate consequence of the convergence of a disturbance in glutamatergic neurotransmission and a heritable abnormality in neural metabolism. These data highlight the potential importance of some very preliminary new data that suggest that N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) may augment antipsychotic effects in treating schizophrenia. NAC raises intracellular glutathione and might be a treatment that targets the cellular process described by Behrens and colleagues.
The Behrens paper also highlights the importance of research studies exploring ketamine effects from a systems and cognitive neuroscience perspective. For example, it does not explain why ketamine effects produce symptoms and cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia. It is likely that the work of scientists including H. Grunze, R. Greene, B. Moghaddam, R. Dingeldine, M. Cunningham, and others is important to consider. These investigators have shown that NMDA receptor antagonists reduce the recruitment of PVC interneurons in feed-forward inhibition pathways resulting in increased glutamatergic output. When NMDA receptors are blocked, the activity of these neurons produces dysfunctional effects, in that neural activity seems chaotic and the organized oscillatory activity of networks is disrupted. These disturbances in network function are paralleled by abnormal behaviors and cognitive impairments in animals and "schizophrenia-like" symptoms and cognitive deficits in humans. One potential solution to this problem would be to reduce glutamate release, a paradoxical suggestion for a disorder commonly thought of as "hypoglutamatergic" based on loss of cortical connectivity. Yet, in animals and humans, drugs that reduce glutamate release (lamotrigine, group II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists) reduce the physiologic and behavioral effects of NMDA glutamate receptor antagonists. Further, there are now some encouraging clinical data that lamotrigine and, particularly, group II mGluR agonists, might have clinical efficacy in treating schizophrenia.
Overall, we seem to be working in a period where a wide variety of data from many sources is rapidly converging to capitalize on the insight that NMDA receptor antagonists, when administered to healthy people, transiently produce effects that resemble schizophrenia.
View all comments by John KrystalComment by: Steven Siegel (Disclosure)
Submitted 6 December 2007
Posted 9 December 2007
The article by Behrens and colleagues provides evidence for a mechanistic link between NADPH oxidase and disruption of normal protein expression in some interneurons following the drug ketamine. Data presented demonstrate that addition of an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, given in the animals drinking water, blocked the effects of ketamine on a specific class of interneurons that contains parvalbumin. Several lines of research suggest that this population of cells is disrupted in schizophrenia, and that reductions of NMDA-type glutamate receptor activity may lead to that impairment. The important iterative advance in the current study links the reduction in NMDA receptor-mediated glutamate transmission to a specific intracellular mechanism and molecular pathway. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate that they can effectively block the cellular changes by inhibiting that pathway, suggesting a novel therapeutic target.
This leads to two major questions: 1) Could NADPH oxidase inhibitors, or similar mechanisms be used to avert the onset of schizophrenia if administered during a prodromal period? 2) Is the process of reduced parvalbumin expression reversible? Some studies have shown that drugs like ketamine, which reduce activity at NMDA receptors, actually lead to cell death, suggesting that only prevention would be possible. Alternatively, there is evidence that the parvalbumin-containing cells in schizophrenia may not be dead and gone, but rather have impaired function and loss of this particular protein. In this latter scenario, it is possible that the effects of the illness could be reversible. Given that ketamine also causes a variety of functional changes in animals, including electrical brain activity and behavior, the current work lays the groundwork for future studies to determine if co-administration of NADPH oxidase inhibitors can block the functional consequences of ketamine and, by extension, reduce NMDA receptor activity in general.
View all comments by Steven SiegelComment by: Dan Javitt, SRF Advisor
Submitted 7 December 2007
Posted 10 December 2007
The study by Behrens and colleagues is an excellent illustration of how breaking with traditional paradigms can lead to identification of novel potential targets for intervention in schizophrenia. As detailed on the pages of Schizophrenia Research Forum (e.g., Interview with D. Lewis) and the cited articles from F. Benes, one of the most consistent findings in schizophrenia is the downregulation of PV and GAD67 expression in PV+ GABAergic interneurons. Dysfunction of these neurons, in turn, may be responsible for frontal neurocognitive and dopaminergic deficits. The underlying cause of the GABAergic interneuron changes, however, has only intermittently been investigated.
One of the leading potential mechanisms underlying reduced PV and GAD67 expression in brain in schizophrenia has always been NMDA dysfunction, given the strong expression of NMDA receptors on GABA interneurons, as described by Behrens and colleagues, and the well-known ability of NMDA antagonists to induce both symptoms and neurocognitive deficits closely resembling those of schizophrenia. Last year, Kinney and colleagues demonstrated that exposure to the NMDA antagonist ketamine reduced PV and GAD67 expression in GABAergic interneurons in vitro (Kinney et al., 2006). The present study builds upon this finding and demonstrates a similar phenomenon in vivo. Moreover, it builds upon this finding to demonstrate that these changes can be reversed by antagonists of NADPH oxidase, suggesting a potential target for intervention.
This study thus adds reduced GAD67 and PV expression in PV+ GABAergic interneurons to the long list of findings in schizophrenia that can be viewed as downstream of a more proximal deficit in NMDA-mediated neurotransmission, and supports interventions aimed specifically at frontal GABAergic interneurons, as well as more generally at reduced NMDA activity throughout brain. This preparation, moreover, may be appropriate to the testing of novel glutamatergic agents.
Behrens and colleagues' article, however, also leaves many questions unanswered. For example, loss of PV and GAD67 in schizophrenia is not confined to prefrontal cortex. It would be of interest to know, therefore, whether histological changes induced by ketamine are or are not confined to this region. As with all proposed new drug targets, it will also be important to know what other processes NADPH oxidase is involved with both inside and outside brain before proposing it too seriously as a drug target. It is one thing to reverse a specific deficit in a short-term treatment model, another to contemplate long-term treatment. At first glance, NADPH oxidase would seem to be a very general enzyme, which is being targeted to treat a very specific condition. Nevertheless, if NADPH oxidase activity can safely be blocked throughout the body long term, the present findings may point the way for new treatments for schizophrenia.
View all comments by Dan JavittComment by: Julie Markham, James I. Koenig
Submitted 10 December 2007
Posted 10 December 2007
The role of reactive oxygen species in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is currently unclear. Several lines of evidence support a greater production of these reactive molecules in schizophrenia because of reduced levels of important buffers for superoxides, such as glutathione. Other research, however, suggests that antipsychotic drugs themselves increase the production of oxygen radicals. In this weeks issue of Science, Behrens and colleagues present data supporting the involvement of reactive oxygen species in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The authors have previously shown that administration of an NMDA receptor antagonist to primary cultures of cortical neurons results in the loss of GAD67 and parvalbumin (PV; a calcium-binding protein) from PV positive GABAergic interneurons (Kinney et al., 2006), similar to what has been observed in studies using postmortem tissue from patients with schizophrenia (e.g., Volk et al., 2000; Hashimoto et al., 2003). In this study, administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine was found to increase production of reactive molecules both in vitro (following bath application of the drug to cultured neurons) and in vivo (following two injections of the drug to mice). Moreover, inhibition of the enzyme NADPH oxidase prevented the reduction of both PV and GAD67 expression. The authors suggest that inhibition of NADPH oxidase may represent a novel treatment for both ketamine-induced psychosis and schizophrenia.
While the authors findings are undoubtedly exciting, some limitations of their approach need to be addressed before over-enthusiasm regarding NADPH oxidase inhibition as a treatment for schizophrenia is generated. Although the title advertises a loss of phenotype of fast-spiking interneurons, the reduction in PV and GAD67 expression from neurons that remain PV positive does not represent a loss of phenotype, and the ketamine-induced increase in superoxide production was not specific to interneurons (only 5-10 percent of primary cortical neuron cultures are PV positive, yet the effect was observed throughout sampled cells). Also, although their findings bear similarity to those observed in schizophrenia, there are notable differences. For instance, whereas the level of PV expression per cell is reduced in schizophrenia (Hashimoto et al., 2003), the level of GAD67 mRNA expression per cell does not differ between individuals with schizophrenia and controls; rather, it appears to be a reduction in the density of neurons that express the transcript. In contrast, Behrens and colleagues report a reduction in the expression per cell for both PV and GAD67. While this difference may simply be due to the fact that Behrens and colleagues examined levels of the proteins, the potential discrepancy should be recognized.
Perhaps the most important limitation to the work is the absence of a functional measure to determine whether the reduction in PV and GAD67 in cortical interneurons observed following ketamine administration results in any of the schizophrenia-associated endophenotypes which can be modeled in rodents. Animal models of schizophrenia employing developmental strategies have been very successful in this regard (reviewed in Carpenter and Koenig, in press), and it is unclear how functional outcomes from the acute pharmacological challenge in mature animals used in the present study might compare. Although the data as they stand are promising, they would be much more compelling if a functional deficit as a result of the treatment was observed and the authors could demonstrate that inhibition of NADPH oxidase prevented this deficit. Unfortunately, such a deficit is unlikely to be found following such a limited ketamine exposure. This is actually quite fortunate since ketamine is a popular general anesthetic in both human and veterinary medicine. Additionally, countless biomedical investigators routinely use ketamine as an anesthetic for survival surgeries; even in cases where the experimental design calls for multiple anesthetizations over the course of the study, no major functional disturbances in experimental animals have been reported. Our conclusion is that, while exposure to ketamine may induce features of neuropathology that bear some similarity to those observed in schizophrenia, the excitement about a treatment for ketamine-induced superoxide production should be tempered until it can be demonstrated that the treatment reverses a functional deficit that is relevant to schizophrenia.
Carpenter WT, Koenig JI. The evolution of drug development in schizophrenia: past issues and future opportunities. Neuropsychopharmacology. (In press, 2007)
Hashimoto T, Volk DW, Eggan SM, Mirnics K, Pierri JN, Sun Z, Sampson AR, Lewis DA. Gene expression deficits in a subclass of GABA neurons in the prefrontal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia. J Neurosci. 2003 Jul 16;23(15):6315-26. Abstract
Kinney JW, Davis CN, Tabarean I, Conti B, Bartfai T, Behrens MM. A specific role for NR2A-containing NMDA receptors in the maintenance of parvalbumin and GAD67 immunoreactivity in cultured interneurons. J Neurosci. 2006 Feb 1;26(5):1604-15. Abstract
Volk DW, Austin MC, Pierri JN, Sampson AR, Lewis DA. Decreased glutamic acid decarboxylase67 messenger RNA expression in a subset of prefrontal cortical gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons in subjects with schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2000 Mar;57(3):237-45.
View all comments by Julie Markham
View all comments by James I. KoenigComment by: Gavin Reynolds
Submitted 10 December 2007
Posted 10 December 2007
For two decades, following the work by Benes and her colleagues, it has been increasingly apparent that there is a deficit in cortical GABAergic neurons in schizophrenia. Ten years ago we found that the parvalbumin (PV)-containing, but not calretinin-containing, subgroup of these neurons was selectively affected, and recently this specific deficit has been seen in animal models of the disease. Repeated administration of non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonists such as PCP, MK801, and ketamine can induce in rats some behaviors reminiscent of schizophrenia, as well as enduring deficits in PV expression.
Behrens and colleagues have identified some of the molecular mechanisms underlying this specific neurotoxicity of ketamine and, probably, other NMDA antagonists. That the effects of ketamine involve generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is not surprising, given the ubiquity of oxidative free radical production in neurotoxic processes. However, identifying the role of NADPH oxidase in producing ROS in response to ketamine, and demonstrating that this process determines the consequent toxic effects of ketamine on PV-containing and other neurons, are potentially important developments.
The importance of these findings to schizophrenia relies on the assumption that repeated administration of ketamine and, presumably, other NMDA antagonists not only models (some of) the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, it also mimics the process leading to this neuronal pathology. This is far from proven, although the NMDA receptor hypofunction hypothesis of Olney and Farber provides a useful model mechanism for this pathogenesis.
A useful proof of concept would be to move away from pharmacological approaches to other animal models of the disease. One such is the isolation rearing paradigm; in this model, induction of abnormal schizophrenia-like behaviors is also paralleled by a deficit in PV-containing neurons (Harte et al., 2007). A simple but very informative study here would be to determine whether inhibition of NADPH oxidase might protect against the development of these deficits. Of course, how the NMDA receptor-mediated deficits relate temporally to the natural history of schizophrenia is unclear; we do not know when the PV deficits occur in schizophrenia. There may be some hope for targeted treatment with, e.g., NADPH oxidase inhibitors if the neuronal pathology parallels a neurotoxic process that underlies the progressive cognitive disturbances as implied by Olney and Farber, but not if the PV deficits relate to an early and primary pathology of the disease.
Harte M, Powell S, Swerdlow N, Geyer M, Reynolds GP (2007) Deficits in Parvalbumin and Calbindin Immunoreactive cells in the Hippocampus of Isolation Reared Rats. J Neural Transm 114, 893-898. Abstract
View all comments by Gavin ReynoldsComment by: Kenneth Johnson
Submitted 18 December 2007
Posted 18 December 2007
The recent study by Behrens and colleagues provides in vitro evidence that blockade of NMDA receptors by ketamine leads to a selective reduction in PV and GAD67 that appears to be due to the toxic effects of superoxide anion arising subsequent to the activation of NADPH oxidase. Blockade of the sublethal, toxic effects of ketamine in neuronal culture is consistent with our report demonstrating that the apoptotic effect of phencyclidine (PCP) on cortical neurons in vivo also could be prevented by the superoxide dismutase mimetic, M40403 (Wang et al., 2003). Though seemingly non-specific, superoxide dismutase mimetics may prove to be useful in the treatment of ketamine or PCP-induced psychosis because of the relative sparseness of critical life-promoting processes that require superoxide anion. Perhaps more importantly, a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying ketamine-induced loss of PV/GAD67 may lead to novel treatment modalities for schizophrenia.
While the primary focus of the report by Behrens and colleagues is on PV-expressing GABAergic interneurons, Fig. 1 clearly demonstrates that ketamine also affects a large population of non-PV neurons. This is consistent with our recent in vivo experiments in developing rats demonstrating that PCP administration on PN7 induces apoptosis of cortical PV-containing interneurons as well as principal neurons in layers II-IV of the cortex (Wang et al., 2007). Early postnatal administration of PCP also results in neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus (Wang and Johnson, 2007. Thus, it may be premature to focus solely on this population of interneurons.
In thinking about the mechanism underlying the selective loss of PV interneurons following PCP, it is important to note that PV is not yet expressed on PN7, which is when PCP was administered in our paradigm (Wang et al., 2007). (The loss of PV-containing interneurons was measured at PN56, well after the time of PV expression on about PN10.) Interestingly, interneurons expressing calretinin and calbindin at the time of PCP administration were spared. These neurons showed no colocalization with cellular markers of apoptosis (terminal dUTP nick-end labeling [TUNEL] of broken DNA or cleaved caspase-3), indicating that calretinin- and calbindin-containing neurons were protected from the toxic effect of PCP and survived into adulthood (Wang et al., 2007). The mechanism underlying this selectivity for cortical PV-containing interneurons is unknown, but as Behrens and colleagues suggest, it could be because these neurons are dependent on a relatively large glutamatergic input for survival. It is also possible that the differing calcium buffering capacities of these interneurons play a role in the selective neurotoxic effect of NMDA receptor blockade. That is, since calcium binding proteins could also act to buffer decreases in intracellular Ca2+ levels caused by ketamine-induced blockade of NMDA receptors, it is possible that the lack of PV in these vulnerable interneurons reduces the ability of these cells to adequately buffer the ketamine-induced decrease in intracellular calcium. This is consistent with the lack of effect on other interneurons that express the calcium binding proteins calretinin and calbindin at the time of PCP administration. This suggests NMDA receptor blockade could cause the deletion of PV neurons because of a specific effect at a critical stage of development. However, cleaved caspase-3 (a hallmark of apoptosis) showed no colocalization with BrdU, a specific marker of S-phase proliferation (Wang et al., 2007). These data suggest that the loss of PV-containing neurons in this paradigm was not due to an effect of PCP on proliferating neurons, but rather an effect on postmitotic neurons.
We have reported recently that PCP in cortical neuronal culture causes neuronal apoptosis by interfering with the Akt-GSK-3β cascade, which is necessary for neuronal survival during development (Lei et al., 2007). Moreover, increasing synaptic strength by various means such as increasing calcium current via activation of L-type calcium channels completely blocks PCP-induced cell death by increasing Akt phosphorylation. It would be of great interest to determine whether PV-containing interneurons respond in a similar fashion.
In order to fully appreciate the significance of ketamine-induced loss of PV-containing neurons, it will be necessary to carefully compare the in vivo dose-related effects of ketamine or PCP that are truly selective for PV/GAD67-containing interneurons to those cortically mediated behaviors that have relevance to schizophrenia.
Wang C, McInnis J, West JB, Bao J, Anastasio N, Guidry JA, Ye Y, Salvemini D, Johnson KM. Blockade of phencyclidine-induced cortical apoptosis and deficits in prepulse inhibition by M40403, a superoxide dismutase mimetic. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2003 Jan 1;304(1):266-71. Abstract
Wang, C.Z., Yang, S.F., Xia, Y. and Johnson, K.M. Induction of a selective cortical deficit of parvalbumin-containing interneurons by phencyclidine administration during postnatal brain development. Neuropsychopharmacology (In press, 2007).
Wang CZ, Johnson KM. The role of caspase-3 activation in phencyclidine-induced neuronal death in postnatal rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2007 May 1;32(5):1178-94. Abstract
Lei, G., Xia, Y. and Johnson, K.M. The role of Akt-GSK-3β signaling and synaptic strength in phencyclidine-induced neurodegeneration. Neuropsychopharmacology (In press, 2007).
View all comments by Kenneth JohnsonComment by: Patricia Estani
Submitted 11 January 2008
Posted 13 January 2008
I recommend the Primary Papers

subset: commoncrawl


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I wanted to make a quick post here as well for a recent update on the availability on the new advanced rotators.
Unfortunately we have had some manufacturing delays. Rest assured however we will not comprise quality of build for speed of production, Nick is very precision orientated. So a bit more time is needed to build up the next batch rotators.
While there is a very good chance we may see some inventory trickle in within the the 2-3 weeks we are posting an estimated ship date of Dec 1st. Not sure yet if we will be able to fill existing back orders - if not we will notify those that may be effected.
Once we are back into full swing with the rotators and Nodal Ninja configurations using these rotators we'll send out newsletters announcing the availability.
If you have not yet signed up for our newsletter please click here https://store.nodalninja.com/MailingList_subscribe.asp
Thank you for your patience.


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SHERMAN, TX -- A local college is being recognized for it's capacity to change lives. Austin College is included in the updated edition of an influential book released Tuesday.
It's called "Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges", a title many students like Austin College senior Sameen Wajid agree with.
"Austin College has definitely changed my life as dramatic as that may sound," said Sameen. "But it has because you get such a person feel for the professors. Like I just saw my professor out there and she ran and gave me a hug. And you just feel like everyone really cares about you and are passionate about your success. And if you're passionate about something, they do everything they can to empower you."
*According to the press release from Austin College:
Austin College is included in the updated edition of the influential book Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges, released today.
The College was included in the original edition of Colleges that Change Lives, published in 1996 and written by Loren Pope, former education editor of The New York Times and longtime education consultant.
Revised editions of the book, also including Austin College, were published by Pope in 2000 and 2006. After Pope died in 2008, his family hired Denver-based education writer Hilary Masell Oswald to compile an updated edition of the book. The writer conducted all new school tours, conducting in-depth interviews, and built on Loren Pope's original work to create a completely updated, more expansive work. There were some changes in the schools included, set at a total of 40 by design.
"We are very pleased that Austin College is included among these 40 exemplary schools," said Austin College President Marjorie Hass. "We work very hard to provide an education with challenging academics supported by expert faculty members whose first priority is their students. The residential community of our campus emphasizes an engagement beyond the classroom, providing opportunities for leadership, collaboration, faculty-directed research, and personal growth. Austin College is a place for students to see themselves and the world with new perspectives – indeed, changing lives and creating possibilities."
In writing the original book, Pope wanted to help high school students find colleges where they could develop a lifelong love of learning and build a foundation for a successful and fulfilling life beyond college. The colleges Pope suggested to students were not necessarily well known, but offered specific distinguishing attributes, including:
Low student-to-faculty ratios that foster collaboration, engaged learning, and personal attention and classes taught by professors, not graduate students
Faculty who are dedicated and passionate about teaching, advising, and mentoring undergraduate students
A commitment to undergraduate education that focuses on the liberal arts and sciences, with multiple opportunities for undergraduate research
A living and learning environment that is primarily residential and emphasizes the benefits of community, personal growth, participation, and involvement
Smaller student enrollments that allow students to be known and recognized as individuals
Out-of-classroom learning opportunities that provide students with an added perspective about themselves, their interests, and the global community. Participation in internships, study abroad, service to others, and special interest activities is common and expected.
Consideration of everything about an applicant—not just numbers on an application—in making admission decisions
Alumni networks that help graduates with professional and career development opportunities as well as foster lifelong friendships based on an involved and engaged undergraduate student experience
Many Austin College graduates agree that the educational experience did, in fact, provide those foundations. "At Austin College I received an excellent liberal arts education that has served me well in my legal and political careers—and helped me solidify my identity and my priorities," said Ambassador Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative since 2009 and a 1976 graduate of the College. "Learning in an environment with faculty who are dedicated and passionate about teaching was a life-changing experience for me. The things that were attractive to me about Austin College are still the same—the strong academic focus and the sense of community on campus."
Kirk served two terms, 1995-2002, as mayor of Dallas, the first African-American in the role. Prior to taking that office, he served as Texas Secretary of State under Governor Ann Richards. He also has practiced law as a partner in the international law firm Vinson & Elkins and was named one of "The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America" by The National Law Journal in 2008. He also was named one of the nation's top government relations lawyers in The Best Lawyers in America from 2007-2009. He received the University of Texas Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001, the Woodrow Wilson Center for Public Policy's Outstanding Public Service Award in 2000, the Young Texas Exes Award in 1995, and the Austin College Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994. Kirk received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from Austin College in 2006 and is a senior member of the Austin College Board of Trustees.
After the original edition of Colleges That Change Lives was published, the schools featured in the book joined together to form an organization by the same name. That organization sponsors college fairs around the country that invite students to meet with representatives from all the participating colleges.
The revised edition, available from Penguin Books for $17, includes details about admissions standards, the curriculum, extracurricular activities, and educational philosophies—as well as comments on the look and feel of the campus, the quality of dining hall food, the percentage of students who study abroad, average SAT/ACT scores, the percentage of students who go to graduate school, and what professors have to say about their schools. The new book also offers a chapter about how students with learning disabilities can find schools that fit their needs.
*Press Release provided by Austin College.


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A coalition of Christian leaders in the United States who are part of the worldwide Lausanne Movement have launched a national campaign to call on Christians and the Church to show the love of Christ to every person in America by the end of the decade.
"We pray that by year-end 2020, every person in America would be authentically loved by at least one Christian," says Paul Cedar, chairman of the Mission America Coalition (MAC).
The LOVE2020 campaign, which aims to engage ministries, churches, whole denominations, and individual Christians in the effort, was announced at the MAC annual leadership consultation in Denver last week. The response of partner churches and those that the group wants to participate in was overwhelming, Cedar said. more >>
Top evangelical leaders across North America are joining a special service Monday in Boston to celebrate the 200th anniversary of North America's first ordained missionaries. The event also marked the official debut of Missio Nexus, which will be the largest evangelical mission network in North America following the historic merger of CrossGlobal Link and The Mission Exchange.
The Missions Bicentennial service and celebration is taking place at Tabernacle Congregational Church in Salem, Mass., the location where on February 6, 1812, the first missionaries being sent from a North American mission agency were commissioned.
The ordaining of Adoniram Judson and four other missionaries for overseas service represented the beginning of a new era in history when America joined the global mission movement. After their ordination in Salem, Judson, along his wife Ann and other missionaries, set sail in February 1812 to bring Christianity to India. more >>
WHEATON, Ill. – Under the slated skylight and within the clean, airy white walls of College Church on the Wheaton College campus, more than 600 people gathered Friday to remember and be inspired by the life of John Stott – the English Anglican clergyman who helped define and drive the global evangelical movement in the 20th century.
One by one, speakers eloquently, but with much sincerity and humor, recalled the humble, intellectual giant of the evangelical community who astounded and touched Christians around the world with his clear and authoritative exegesis of the Bible, and with the way he lived his life.
"He (John Stott) truly was, in some ways, the first person who spoke the word of God to me through his literature and I also heard him in person," proclaimed Tim Keller, senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and whom Newsweek magazine described as a "C.S. Lewis for the twenty-first century." more >>
Evangelical Christian leaders from around the world are mourning the death of evangelical figure John Stott, who died Wednesday at the age of 90.
Stott, known for shaping 20th century evangelicalism through his writing and preaching, died 3:15 p.m. in his retirement home at St. Barnabas College, located 30 miles away from London. He was surrounded by his longtime secretary Frances Whitehead and close friends who read Scriptures and listened to Handel's "Messiah" when he passed.
An Anglican theologian from the U.K., Stott was the chief architect of the 1974 Lausanne Covenant and the author of over 50 Christian books in which he took complex theology and explained it in a way lay people could understand. One of his most popular books was Basic Christianity (1958), which has been translated into more than 60 languages, according to Christian book publisher InterVarsity Press. He has also influenced millions of Christians through other well-known titles including Christ the Controversialist (1970), Issues Facing Christians Today (1984) and the one he always considered his best: The Cross of Christ (1986). more >>
Looking back, the year 2010 was a year of pain, surprises, and your fair share of debates. The Christian Post draws your attention back to some of the top issues and events that marked the year:
1. Debate over the approval of a massive Islamic cultural center near New York City's ground zero
The decision in May by a New York community board to give the green light to the construction of Park51, an Islamic cultural center that includes a mosque, near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, left many Americans hurt and angered. more >>
Many prominent ministry leaders came out Tuesday in a webcast to endorse the new edition of Operation World and to call on Christians to pray for the nations.
Operation World, a prayer encyclopedia listed in Christianity Today's "The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals," was endorsed by Joni Eareckson Tada, Max Lucado, Anne Graham Lotz, and megachurch pastor David Platt, among other well-known leaders.
Through individual videos, the leaders shared how the up-to-date, country-focused book has impacted their prayer life. more >>


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I received my NN3MKII on Tuesday and finally made time to calibrate my camera/lens. I have to say, I'm VERY pleased with my purchase.
A link to my first serious panorama is at http://www.rich.org/CancunLagoon.mov
There are some stitching issues in the water (because of the waves) and an artifact in the zenith, but I'm pleased with my first serious attempt.
I'm still developing my workflow, etc. and I'd appreciate any suggestions. I'm using both Sticher 5.7 and AutoPano (they each have their strengths and weaknesses) but they compliment each other pretty well.
Thanks again for a great product !


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Tips for New Moms: Three Steps for Sanity
A mother of three once told me how she handled it when her children's pacifiers fell on the floor: "With the first baby, I washed and sterilized it. With the second, I wiped off the 'paci' on my jeans. With the third, I shoved it back in the baby's mouth, usually after the dog had a chance to lick it."
Having subsequent children teaches moms and dads to adopt a "whatever works" mentality. After all, with two or more small children swarming your hive, you may be willing to incur later dentist bills and let your babe take a bottle to bed. A warped adult may be the least of your worries when night after night your toddler climbs into your bed, scared of the monsters in his closet.
A sage mom, one of my mentors, once told me how her father-in-law frowned to see his grandson standing on the coffee table to reach something on a shelf. Given that Mom's attention was so often on her baby daughter, she brushed this disapproval off as if it were lint. "Around here, Dad," she said, "we do whatever works."
Don't wait until a second child or a crisis hits to enjoy the wisdom of "whatever works." What a gift it is to those you love, when you dispense with formalities and make your home a comfortable place to be human. Learn that traditions are meant to be broken and recast, and that love and support for one another always takes precedence.
More on: Adjusting to New Motherhood
excerpted from:
From What No One Tells the Mom by Marg Stark. Copyright © 2005. Used by arrangement with Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
To order this book, visit Amazon or click on the book cover.


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I recently moved into a smaller apartment and no longer have the space for my 6.5 and 5 gallon carboys. Do people sell smaller carboys than this? I know Mr. Beer would be small enough, but I'd rather have something a bit bigger. Also, most extract kits come in 5 gallon recipes. I imagine I can half everything and brew 2.5 gallons at a time. Is there any downsides to this, or anything special I should look out for?
There are no concerns over going to a smaller batch size. 3 gallon carboys and buckets are easily found. Check out USplastics.com they have all sorts of funky food grade buckets and things.
The other great thing about doing say 2.5 gallon batch is that you can start passing up on starters. Just pitch an entire tube of White labs and you are definitely good to go.
However, a 3 gallon bucket is still going to take up almost as much space as a 5 gallon bucket. You can save on storage space by putting stuff in your bucket if that helps?
As far as halving a kit goes that's tough. I'd invest in some brewing software and set all your defaults to the new brewing batch size of 2.5 gallons. Then start scaling good recipes from reliable sources down to that size and go from there. Building your ingredient lists from scratch is probably better than halving kits. At the least you should take good notes on whats in your favorite kit. Then next time you can just buy half the ingredients separately.
Northern Brewer has 3 gallon carboys in both glass and plastic. And you can get 3 gallon kegs, as well.
If you can halve all of the ingredients in a kit, I can't think of any problems with brewing that way. My concern would be trying to split a jug of LME into halves. You'd probably need a scale to do it accurately.
I use 3 gallon better bottles for small batches. Available at many brew shops, including Northern Brewer.
Regarding halving recipes, you can indeed literally halve your recipe and get very similar results to the full recipe.
If you want to continue to use kits, you'll probably end up wasting money over time.
I would suggest buying the ingredients separately and building your own kits. Don't worry! This is very easy. If you don't want to formulate recipes yourself, you can find them in many places online, including places like Northern Brewer who list their ingredients out:
Check out their Phat Tyre Ale: [Sorry, I can't link it because my rep isn't high enough. Search for "Phat Tyre Extract" at the site I linked above]
Down near the bottom is a Kit Inventory Sheet: [Sorry, I can't link it because my rep isn't high enough. Search for "Phat Tyre Extract" at the site I linked above]
SPECIALTY GRAIN -- 0.5 lbs Victory Malt -- 0.5 lbs Briess Caramel 60
FERMENTABLES -- 1 lb Pilsen dry malt extract (60 min) -- 6 lbs Amber malt syrup late addition (15 min)
HOPS & FLAVORINGS -- 1 oz Perle (60 min) -- 1 oz Hersbrucker (15 min)
Halve all of those ingredients and you'll have a lovely brew.:
SPECIALTY GRAIN -- 0.25 lbs Victory Malt -- 0.25 lbs Briess Caramel 60
FERMENTABLES -- 0.5 lb Pilsen dry malt extract (60 min) -- 3 lbs Amber malt syrup late addition (15 min)
HOPS & FLAVORINGS -- 0.5 oz Perle (60 min) -- 0.5 oz Hersbrucker (15 min)


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Or they want to share the experience with someone of a younger generation. The first Broadway show I went to was Fiddler on the Roof, in the original production (but not the original cast). I was thrilled to see that there was a revival with Molina, so that my (much) younger cousins could see it. (Not that it had to be on Broadway, but it was important to be prominently available.)
I could add operas, classical plays, and orchestral music. All the schedules for this classifications are dominated by revivals for a long , long time.
Audiences want to play it safe with stuff they know and that figures regularly in the scheduling
Although I don't know if today's 17-year-old would have seen the same thing in Pippin that I did at that age
A lot of the classic musicals are our a key part of American musical legacy, and are great vehicles for today's actors. I think there's something great about passing them down.


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Ershal Haynes
Ershal Haynes passed away, August 8, 2011, at the age of 68. Ershal was born January 23, 1943 in Colville to James Ershal Haynes (1894-1987) and Gladys Francis Ester (Bell) Haynes (1910-2009). Ershal was the 7th of 11 brothers and sisters; Jim Haynes (1930-2010) and Janice of Kettle Falls, William Haynes and Lorraine of Chewelah, Bob Haynes and Lucille of Kettle Falls, Jack Haynes and Vernal of Kettle Falls, Mike Haynes of Kettle Falls, Arletta Haynes of Kettle Falls, Barbara Kruger and Don of Cheney, Linda McBride and Rick of Raymond, Carlie Ross of Chewelah and Kathy-Haynes Holman and Dave of Chewelah. He was a lifelong resident of Stevens County but resided the last 17 years in Peachcrest. Ershal is survived by daughter Fonnetta Sweeney and her husband Michael, of Spokane, stepdaughter Debra Ford and her husband Bret, of Spokane, and five grandchildren, Kassandra Sweeney, Alex Sweeney, Melissa Sweeney, Makayla Sweeney and Marcus Ford. Ershal was preceded in death by his granddaughter Natasha Rachelle Haynes in 1989. Ershal worked for Boise Cascade lumber company in Kettle Falls for 20 years. Also during this time, he attended school and earned an Electronic Technician certification. Ershal enjoyed reading the Bible, tinkering and repairing electronics and building model airplanes. His true passion was to fly airplanes, but settled on watching and learning about as many as he could. A graveside service will be held at Meyers Falls Cemetery in Kettle Falls on Wednesday, August 10 at 4 p.m. Danekas Funeral Chapel and Crematory is Entrusted with the arrangements.


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Do You Know These African-American Pioneers?
7 of 10
Vernon Baker (1919-)
It's rare for any soldier to be awarded the Medal of Honor, but not a single black soldier received the citation during World War II. In 1993, the United States Army commissioned a study that concluded that 10 African-American soldiers had indeed earned the honor, due to their gallantry on the battlefield. Of the 10, only Lieutenant Vernon Baker was still living when President Clinton awarded the medals in 1996.
Next: Bill Russell (1934-)
More on: Black History Month


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I currently have an open source project that is licensed under GPLv3. I'd like to dual license it, so I can offer it for commercial use. Are there any resources for choosing or creating a commercial software license?
Sign up
- Anybody can ask a question
- Anybody can answer
- The best answers are voted up and rise to the top
I think Binpress' commercial license generator is excellent: http://www.binpress.com/license/generator
I think most people just copy the EUA from some big software package from a big scary company.
Remember to replace Microsoft/Orace/whoever with your own name! There was the case of a database+programming language tools company big in the 90s that famously forgot!
What you want is a free software license without copyleft?
Because, GNU GPL, GNU LGPL and GNU FDL, allow commercial use.
If you want to link with proprietary software, then use the GNU LGPL.
If copyleft is not desired I suggest you to use the lib/libpng license.
You may just put the license as a comment on those source code files. Or cite properly elsewhere.
From the FSF and GNU view proprietary software is a unethical thing: It's take away people freedom and commonly impose Digital Restrictions Management (DRM).
Some useful links to know more about this ethical issue:
Creative Commons. GNU. And you can find hundreds of examples at Law school web sites and even use existing EULA content and edit it to suit your needs. ALWAYS have your efforts reviewed by a competent attorney.


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WHEELING - The once mostly barren concrete walls of WesBanco Arena are brimming with Ohio Valley athletics history spanning from the early 1900s to present day.
The Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Sports Museum includes more than 100 display cases full of memorabilia, photographs, jerseys, trophies, medals, banners, helmets and much more donated by individuals and school districts from across the valley.
The museum, which opened in 2005, is free and open to the public during the arena's hours of operation - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays. People already attending sporting events or concerts at the arena also can check out the displays while there.
Two of the museum's creators - Tom Rataiczak, OVAC executive secretary, and Doug Huff, retired sports editor for The Intelligencer - described the museum as one of the Ohio Valley's best-kept secrets. They hope more people will visit the facility not only to learn about the region's and world's greatest athletes, but about the history of the valley as well.
"You can't walk away and not be impressed," Rataiczak said during a tour of the museum. "There's something here that affects everybody in the valley."
Among the thousands of artifacts, the museum also includes one wall full of photos of OVAC Hall of Fame inductees, including Huff who was added in 2005. A few computerized kiosks dot the hallways and allow visitors to search for specific athletes, coaches and schools and read about them in detail. Rataiczak is working toward cataloguing each photo and item in the museum so people can do a search at the kiosk and find an item's exact location inside the museum.
Collecting the items has been quite an undertaking. But many of the photos and some memorabilia Huff already had collected during his many years as sports editor. For example, Huff used his personal baseball card collection and copied and enlarged them to add to a display case that also includes one of his original Niekro brothers cards.
"We wanted every school to have a case," Huff said. "We had to track a lot of it down."
Other items were donated by family members of athletes, the athletes themselves or by schools. The solid wood cases were crafted for free by Carpenters Local No. 3 apprentices. Since the museum has room to expand at the arena, people still can donate items or money to help with the upkeep of the display cases. Call (740) 671-3269 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.
"The maintenance staff here has been phenomenal. They've given a lot of time and energy," Rataiczak said, noting scaffolding has been erected several times to hang banners and signs from the arena's ceiling.
Huff said they have worked to include items from every school in the conference, of which there are 50, and 20 former schools that have since closed for various reasons including consolidation. Many of those OVAC standouts went on to compete in college, the Olympics or as professional athletes. For example, Bridgeport High School alone produced baseball greats Joe and Phil Niekro, Olympic wrestler Bobby Douglas and NBA star John Havilcek.
While they continue to preserve relics of the past, Rataiczak said the museum must remember to start collecting today's items because they also are a part of the valley's history.
"When you look at it, it's a mind boggling, Herculean effort," Rataiczak said of the collection.
While showing her granddaughter, Alexis Nice, 11, of Steubenville around the museum, arena concessions Manager Robbie McCroskey said she enjoys looking inside the display cases.
"I love it. Every chance I get I look around. There's some very talented people here," McCroskey said.
Rataiczak said he also would like to have an OVAC museum website to allow former Ohio Valley residents - and the rest of the world - to see photos of the museum's offerings.
In addition to Huff and Rataiczak, other museum committee members include Linda Myers, Rick DeLuca, Dennis Magruder, Bill Hinegardner and Ron Mauck.


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Whether you're playing live or recording in a studio, multiple microphones help to boost your overall sound and microphone packages are an easy way to do that. With microphone packages, you can outfit your entire band and instruments, kick out a stronger beat or upgrade your current microphone with much needed accessories. When it comes to microphone packages, how many you need and what you'll be using the microphones for will definitely factor into your decision.
If you're playing live with your band or organizing a larger event that requires more than one microphone, you might want to consider the Audio-Technica M4000S 6-pack Mic and Stand Kit. This set includes 20-foot cables for more range, 6 microphones that offer crystal clear vocals and 6 tripod stands with non-skid legs. Have a smaller group? The AKG D8000M 3-Pack with Cable and Stand is also an excellent choice. This set of mics with cables and boom stands can be used for multiple vocals, your drum kit or other instruments. For recording microphone packages, the MXL 800 Series Microphone Bundle is a solid choice. A total of 6 microphones can help you capture virtually any sound. Two MXL 840's are excellent for drum overheads and acoustic guitars while the other 4 microphones ensure the rest of the band members are heard with optimum clarity. For smaller scale recording of vocals and instruments, consider the all-in-one Sterling Audio ST55/ST31 Condenser Mic Package. Ideal for home recordings, this set includes 2 condenser mics, a mesh pop filter and shock mount.
If you're a drummer in a band, the CAD Pro-7 Drum Microphone Kit (7-piece) has everything you need to ensure your audience hears every beat. This all-in-one drum package comes with 7 mics and a convenient carrying case for easy portability from home to your gigs. Another drum kit option for studio or live performances is the Audix DP7 Drum Microphone Pack. Gooseneck clips allow for perfect placement of the 7 mics and an aluminum road case protects your investment when you're on the road. Microphone packages come in a variety of sizes and desired sounds. Some packages are designed for specific instruments, some sets are better for live performances while others are best suited for studio recording. Finding the right microphone package all comes down to personal preference and maximum functionality for you or your band.
Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer restrictions. If you change the Ship-To country, some or all of the items in your cart may not ship to the new destination.


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GENESEO, N.Y. - Jasmine Tang, a Chinese language lecturer at SUNY Geneseo in the Department of Languages and Literatures, has received an Award of Distinction from the Chinese Language Education and Research Center (CLERC) for outstanding contributions to the promotion of Chinese language education in the United States.
Tang is among nine Chinese language teachers and administrators that CLERC has honored this year. The honorees receive a fully covered, two-week education trip to China and will have opportunities to network with U.S. and Chinese educators, build partnerships, attend classes and learn firsthand about China by visiting cultural and historical sites.
"I am thrilled to receive this honor," said Tang. "It affirms two decades of teaching the Chinese language and I am very thankful."
Established in 1993, CLERC is a non-profit institution based in California dedicated to the research and advancement of Chinese language teaching and learning and to the promotion of U.S.-China cultural and educational exchanges.
Three of Tang's students also will be in China this summer on study abroad programs and another will be there teaching English as a second language.
Tang, who received a psychology degree from Geneseo in 1987, has been on the Geneseo faculty since 1991. She received a master's degree in Chinese education from SUNY Empire State College and completed master's degree courses in linguistic and applied linguistics at East China Normal University in China. She is a member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association.
Tang also has published the textbook "Taking Off With Chinese," designed for students who have had no contact with the Chinese language or culture.
Media Contact:
David Irwin
Media Relations Manager
(585) 245-5516


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There is an episode of Seinfeld where George has an "exploding wallet". His wallet is so full that he can barely close it …and sitting is a matter of circus-level balance and chiropractic expertise.
My wallet is starting to feel that way. I obviously don't carry it in my back pocket… but it is starting to bulge at the seams. Closing it is becoming a bit of a struggle. I keep thinking something is caught in there…but that isn't the case. It is just full.
Want to know what is in there?
My driver's license, of course. My 3 debit cards for three different accounts and my Target debit REDcard. One or two receipts, stamps, a MTA Metro Card (cause we all know I could ride the NYC subway system at any given point in time) and my loyalty cards.
My what?
My loyalty cards. You know, the ones that get you a discount, or earn you points towards free stuff?
I've got a cards to Dillons, HyVee, Hancock Fabrick, Panera Bread, Best Buy, LEGO, Toys R Us, Hallmark and CVS.
Those are the ones I found. I'm pretty sure I've got more…one to Chico's and White House/Black Market …but I can't find them.
This seems a little crazy…but a girl just can't give up on her dreams of discounts and points for free stuff.
I recently learned about a NEW loyalty card called the LOC card. This is one card that will replace all of your other cards, literally. The LOC card will managed your current loyalty cards for you. You show/swipe the LOC card when you make your purchase and the points/rewards are automatically added to that store's account, and if there is an in store discount it will register with the swipe of the LOC card as well.
You can go online at loccard.com and manage your different accounts. Check to see the balance of your rewards at BestBuy before they expire (I mean, I've heard that people actually let those things expire because they can't remember how to log on and check on them….), see what coupons are available at White House Black Market, check the balance of your CVS Extra Care Bucks….all in one place. Once address, one password.
The other bonus? If there is a loyalty card that you would like to have (like that Michael's rewards card you keep thinking you should have when you spend $100 on crafting supplies…..), swiping your active LOC card will automatically register you for the program. No filling out papers in store or taking home something to fill out that you immediately forget about and never return (again, I'm hypothesizing here). LOC does the work for you.
This is a new program that launched in October of this year. They are currently working on contracts with many different stores. If LOC is something that you would like to use, you can suggest your favorite stores to them on their website: www.loccard.com.
The LOC card will be available in a good old wallet sized card (if you are a traditionalist), a key fob (if you like to swing your keys around and hear the extra jangle) or as a smart phone app (if you prefer to scroll through your phone looking for the right app instead of searching through your purse for the right card…. just sayin' …there's not a lot of hope for true organization for me …).
The LOC card is a free service to use and I'm really excited as I watch it getting ready to take off! You can follow along on their Facebook page and watch for announcements as they add new stores to their service. You can also follow them on Twitter: @LOCCard.
If my many musing and constant rambling didn't quite make sense … you can also watch a quick video on how the LOCCard works over on YouTube.
One more thing: LOC Card is having a "Show Us Your Cards" contest on their Facebook Page. By showing them a pic of your pile o' cards…you could win a $50 Visa gift card. Now who couldn't use a little extra cash about now? Get the details here.
I just want the use of wallet back.
Read More


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A couple of weeks ago I got a new job as a studentworker for a webagency. The job is 15-20 hours of week. Even though I am new in the company, I feel right at home and I enjoy working with my co-workers.
To start of with, I was assigned to work on an internal tool in the company, in order to learn their systems and their development platform. The deadline for this project is this week, and I am right on time.
But today (wednesday at noon) I received an email from my boss, asking me to do a new project that has a deadline at friday morning.
The new assignment alone will be hard to finish on time, and on top of that I need to finish the other assignment on time.
My question is: How do I handle my boss expecting me to be a superhero?
EDIT: I will talk to my boss about delaying one of the projects. But another problem is that the new assignment will be hard to do on time (friday morning). I didn't have a say on the deadline - I just got a mail telling me the deadline.
I am new in the company and want to stay, but I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with the boss.


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In Their Own Words - Carroll ShelbyWritten by on June 1, 2008 Contributors: Hot Rod Archives At 85, Carroll Shelby Is Still As Hard-Core As Ever. We Sat Down With Him And A Handful Of Photos To Relive The Past.
His name is synonymous with all things fast. Carroll Shelby is the last remaining original American icon of high performance. Regardless of your brand loyalty, the man has built some incredible performance machines and developed many innovative performance components that have revolutionized the industry. From racing Aston Martins and Maseratis in the '50s to Cobra and Shelby Mustang development in the '60s, he may now be writing his greatest chapter ever with the creation of the Shelby Cars complex in Las Vegas.
Despite his recent 85th birthday, Carroll continues to clock-in daily, creating more performance models and garnering more headlines than anyone in the American performance car arena. We caught up with him recently and tossed a few old (and new) photos under his nose, clicked on the recorder, and let him speak his mind. As colorful as always, he had some commentary we'd not heard before. For the entire interview, head to HOTROD.com and click on "Shelby interview." Ol' Shelby-there's nothing like him.
More Photos From This Article View Slideshow
New Shelby GT500 KRThe new GT500KR is the highest horsepower Mustang ever built. I'm very proud of the development work needed to make that happen. While the 540 hp is terrific, the Super Snake is rated at up to 725 hp. In our most recent testing, we have been able to hit horsepower figures well north of that number. We have customers who are not as concerned about warranty issues and want extreme performance. I expect that you will see figures higher than this in the future.The story behind the original King of the Road name is interesting. I went to have a meeting with Ford general manager Henry Carlini. He said, "You know, Corvette is coming out with a King of the Road." I didn't know that, and he showed me the brochure for the car. I picked up the telephone, called my copyright lawyer in Washington, and asked if King of the Road was taken. He said, "I'll let you know tomorrow." I said, "I will have another copyright lawyer by tomorrow. I need to know in an hour and a half." He called me back and said it was not taken. I told him, "You better be down there at 8 a.m. tomorrow to take it." He called me at 8 in the morning and said it was registered. Then I called 3M and had GT500KR decals made for the side panels. I called down to the Imperial Highway plant, where we were building cars on the airport and asked, "How many GT500s are we building next week?" They told me 50 convertibles and 50 hardtops. I said, "I've got a new name for them: King of the Road." And that's how it started.Shelby American Daytona Coupe-Sebring Florida, 1964-Driven By Dave Mcdonald And Bob HolbertI can tell you that the Daytona coupe was one of the biggest mistakes in my life. Because Pete Brock was working for us, I said, "Pete, we gotta have a coupe." Pete drew up the most beautiful coupe that you ever saw. I said, "OK, we'll build one." And we did. It took Ken Miles and John Collins 15,000 miles of testing out at Riverside to get the ass end on the ground and keep the front end from lifting . . . and keep the drivers from smothering. Because Pete was just a young man then, and it was before he had a lot of experience designing cars, I had a friend named Benny Howard who had built the Howard aircraft, and he was on the board of directors of General Dynamics, looking at the design. He was building hop-up kits for DC3s on Washington Avenue in Los Angeles down there near us in Venice. He said, "Shelby, if you really want to take care of the aerodynamics, you are going to have to extend the tail." He drew up a 917 Porsche design. If I had built the car like the 917 Porsche, I would have been 10 years ahead of where we were. At that time, if I had listened to Benny Howard, we wouldn't have had Ken Miles driving 5,000 miles a week around Riverside to get the car to work. That was one of the toughest jobs, and I will never forget Ken's efforts to fix the car's design.Jerry Titus In His Shelby Mustang, 1967This is a wonderful story. I met Jerry Titus when we worked for Maserati in New York. He rebuilt a 3.0L Maserati that Briggs Cunningham had wrecked. I drove the car twice. I won two races and held the track record at Lime Rock with that car and at Cumberland for years.Then one day he called me at work and said, "My name's Jerry Titus. I built that Maserati for you in New York. I'm the new technical editor for Sports Car Graphic magazine." I said, "Good, let's go out to Riverside and test a little bit. We were testing the Mustang at that time, turning it into a race car, which Iacocca had insisted that I do. Ken Miles was doing most of the testing. I said, "Take a couple of laps, Jerry." He went out, and on his second lap, he was as fast as Miles. I said, "Miles, are these times right?" He said, "By God, that's great."Ken and Jerry became great friends. Titus became our driver. He went to Daytona and won the first race in this car. Parnelli Jones was driving Cougars at that race. They went into the first turn, and Parnelli was a very aggressive driver. He got knocked off course by a little bitty guy in a yellow Mustang. Parnelli came in after the race and said, "I don't know where you got that guy, but he is a hell of a race driver."Race Cobras At Venice Factory, 1963, Three Usrrc Shelby American Cobra RoadstersI never thought we'd put all the money together to let the Cobras win all the races they did. I think many people thought it was the mistake of the century to use the AC chassis. We made it work. We kept on making wider and wider Goodyears to make all four tires stay on the ground. How we won the world championship with that chassis, I'll never know .but I'll take it.Shelby With Original 289 Cobra, 1963We still build between 200 and 300 of them a year. I don't make it a big deal, but I am going to continue to do it. We will have our own aluminum-bodied Cobras as time goes on. We will increase the number of those that we build. I am looking at some new carbon-fiber body possibilities.The GT40 Garage At Le Mans, 1966Al Dowd has gone on now, but what a wonderful job he did holding all this together as our team manager for Shelby Racing. Phil Remington was a great mechanic and engineer. Al Dowd was the guy who ran eight racing teams one year.GR1 Concept CarNice-looking car, isn't it? I hope someday we build another car at Ford. I would love to build that car. There has been some talk of it. I think it is a beautiful car. Don't know when. I'll probably be horizontal.Celebration-40th Anniversary Of The MustangI've done a lot of promotions over the years. The events like the annual Fabulous Ford Forever car show at Knott's Berry Farm is wonderful. I don't like those personal birthday things. I had a 65th, a 75th, and an 85th-this was the best of them. My 65th was put on by Road and Track, and that was a wonderful one also. My 75th was put on by a renegade employee that wasn't worth a shit. My 85th was great, but it wore me out and put me in the hospital.Cobra No. 98-Dave MCdonald We lost Dave at Indianapolis in one of the worst cars that was ever built. Mickey Thompson was a friend of mine, but I tried to get David to not drive that thing, because it was a death trap. What little Davie would have accomplished in life, who knows. It was cut short so early. I think he had more raw talent probably than any race driver I ever saw.
Daytona Continental 2,000km race-Daytona Florida, 1965. Ken Miles, Carroll Shelby, Lloyd Ruby, Leo Beebe, and Ray Geddes celebrate for the Ford GT overall win.Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby-now we didn't stay in long-distance racing too long. I was a Goodyear man. Firestone hired Lloyd. In my opinion, that was the greatest combination ever. Lloyd Ruby and sports cars, Indianapolis cars, whatever he got in, midgets, Sprint Cars. I think Lloyd Ruby is the greatest talent I ever knew when you take all of the various types of race cars into consideration.24 Hours of Daytona, 1966-privately owned Shelby GT350 driven by Roger West/Richard MaconI don't think the GT350 stayed ahead of this GT40 very long. I think the new Ford GT is the best sports car that has ever been built for the money. Twenty years from now, it will be recognized as a sports car that you don't have to fiddle with all the time. It is far superior as far as mechanicals to any Ferrari, any Lamborghini, any of these very exotic things because it will just keep on running, keep on stopping, and the air conditioner works beautifully. I gotta tell you that Chris Theodore and John Colletti did a super job of getting that car done. I have two Ford GTs, and I'm damn proud of them.Shelby with John Holman of Holman-Moody racing-Sebring, Florida, 1967That's old honker and I. Honker John Holman, he didn't know any more about sports cars than a hog does with a sidesaddle. Bill Moody was his guru as far as stock cars were concerned. I worked with them through the whole program. The highlight of the program was not what Holman-Moody contributed but the fact that the car that finished Third had a stock car driver that had never been to Le Mans. He did exactly as he was told. That just shows you how smart the stock car drivers are today. I was watching the '08 Daytona 500, and when that race started, there were 35 cars out of 43 starting racers that could have won that race. You look at a Formula 1 race today-there are four drivers that could possibly win the race.Cobras And Corvettes In Nassau, Bahamas, 1963The first time I raced the Cobra, Zora Arkus Duntov was there. Zora was always my friend. He looked it over and over and even drove my Cobra. He had some ideas about what to do to make it better. We led the race, and three quarters of the way through, the rear hub carrier broke. Duntov came over and said, "Carroll, I see the handwriting on the wall. Those sons of bitches at GM won't let me do what it takes to outrun ya. You're going to win races for years." I just wish Zora was alive to see the new ZR1 Corvette that they finally built. Zora would be proud of that Corvette.Le Mans, 1967Wow, ol' No. 1. That brings back so many memories because of Henry Ford's directive back in 1965. After so many of their race cars had blown up because of cylinder head bolt problems, he wanted to win. You will never see a program like the one Ford created to win Le Mans. Henry "The Deuce" got us together in 1965; Ray Geddes, Leo Bebbe, Don Fry, and I. Henry had put together name tags that said, "Ford Wins Le Mans in 1966." Well, you saw four people with dysentery from that. To win Le Mans is not all that easy. I remember the Ford chief financial officer called me about three months into the program and said, "Carroll, we've spent $200 million on this program so far. I'm afraid it's going to bankrupt the company." I said, "You better talk to Mr. Ford about that. He told us to win Le Mans."I went racing 45 years ago and won a world championship. We won national championships probably around 25 times. I won a national championship; I won Le Mans. I was lucky enough to do that, and I wouldn't trade places with my friends Roger Penske or Jack Roush for anything in the world.New Shelby GT Hertz MustangA guy by the name of Robert Parker said, "We'd like to try that same thing again with Hertz rental car Shelbys." I knew the cars would have to be a compromise because we learned from the first Hertz cars that you can't put too much horsepower or too tough a suspension on rental cars. We had problems back in 1966 because the cars ended up at the dragstrip, where they won their trophies, folks would take the engines out, put in a two barrel, and take it back to Hertz. How it originally happened back in 1966 is that in the beginning, Peyton Kramer worked for me and came from Ford, where he worked on the Ford account in the controller's office. He said, "Carroll, I think I can go back to Hertz and sell them 100 cars." Peyton called me from New York, "C-C-Carroll, you're not going to believe this. I just sold them 1,000 cars! But we gotta get 200 of them here by January 1." I had a little ol' company, and we thought we could build 1,000 cars over two years not 200 in two months. Anyway, we all started working together and we got it done. We got 200 cars prepped with blue streaks tires and racing pucks brake pads with 306hp engines. Hertz did a big promotion. They had all 200 of them leased out, and they totaled 40 of them the first weekend when they had a big ice storm. Boy, the president of Hertz wasn't very happy about that. He told me, "You probably got me fired." They got out of the first deal pretty quick. We learned a lot from the original Hertz program.'65 Shelby GT350I didn't want to build this car. Iacocca called me and said, "Shelby, I want you to take the Mustang and make a sports car out of it." I told him, "I don't want to build that thing. We're building Cobras. We've got six racing teams. Lee, that would be a waste of time to try and make a sports car out of that thing." Lee said, "See what you can do."So I called John Bishop and asked him, "What the hell do you think I've got to do? The brakes are too small. The engine is too small. It's a six cylinder. We've got the V-8, but we only have 260 cubic inches. My God, John, I just don't see how I can do it."He said, "You can put bigger brakes on it and put a big rearend in it. They got a new engine coming that puts out 300 hp. Take the back seat out of it. Hop up the suspension. Why don't you see if you can do it?"So I called and told Iacocca, "I need to build three prototypes." I sent him a bill for $15,000. Bill Levy from Ford called back and said, "Aw, Shelby, all we've got is $1,500." So I took money out my own pocket and the Goodyear money to build the GT350. For seven years, that car kicked the hell out of the Corvette. But in the end, the Mustang got too big to race.


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This apartment is currently off the market. Go to the building page to see availabilities.
$3,8602 Bedroom, 1 Bath
Available immediately
4540 Center Boulevard
Long Island City, NY 11101
Long Island City
Long Island City, NY 11101
Long Island City
Building Features & Amenities
- Elevator
- Attended Lobby
- Concierge
- Valet
- Laundry in Building
- Fitness Center
- Residents Lounge
- Childrens Playroom
- WiFi Access
- Tennis Court
- Volleyball Court
- Terrace
- Units: 345
- High-rise (26+ Floors)
- Built 2012
Pet policy: Pets OK
Owner:: Bordering the northern edge of the EastCoast community, overlooking the East River, Anabel Basin and esplanade. 4540 Center Blvd offers a variety of floor plans ranging from cozy studios to spacious three-bedrooms. The 345 rental homes feature stunning hardwood floors, high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for ample sunlight and spectacular river and skyline views. Residents will also enjoy designer kitchens and bathrooms outfitted with high quality fixtures and modern finishes. Outside, the landscaped terrace is the perfect place to entertain a crowd or just kick back and relax after a long day. Additional amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness center, tennis courts, volleyball courts, lounge and children's playroom. 4540 Center Blvd is pet friendly.
Neighborhood / Parking / Transportation
Walking Distance to:
- Shuttle Bus
Owner / Manager / Leasing Information for 4540 Center Boulevard
For more information on this listing, contact:
Property Management:
TF Cornerstone