text:
To map out the future for Tamils, do it in pencil?
| by Victor Cherubim
( September 12, 2013, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Whilst unconfirmed reports attributed to the government, stated that the UNP may extend support to the TNA to win the Northern Provincial Council election, other observers maintain, that the military authorities in the North, by blatantly canvassing for the UPFA candidates, were driving support of ordinary voters to the Tamil National Alliance.
President Rajapaksa added "Northern Province has been given equal benefits similar to that given to other provinces, following the end of the war. Although land issues in the North exist, those issues will be resolved in due course."
Elections in Sri Lanka have in the past triggered violence and conflict, often revealing weakness within the political system. "An election is a formal decision making process by which a population chooses an individual or a party to hold public office." But, elections have become a "tick box" with the so called "democratic process" often conceived and funded as a one off event, often isolated from other key political and existing governance processes.
Election process needs to start before and after the event
The Northern Provincial Council Election fixed for 21 September 2013, has to be thought of as a process and not an event, if it has to capture the popular imagination as well as attract international attention. The former is necessary for producing results that are more legitimate of the voice of the people, and the latter as a free and fair election.
Sri Lanka has for too long been in the eye of the world at large, irrespective of the number of elections held. On this occasion, part of the international community comprising the Commonwealth, has been invited by the Elections Commissioner, to send observers to the NPC. This is in the right direction.
These Observers we are informed do not represent the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, nor do they represent their individual governments. What they can do and what they cannot is defined by their terms of reference. Drawn from different parts of the Commonwealth and include a mix of gender and discipline, including "electoral experts,"
they may look at among others issues, the following:
The credibility of the voters' register and the electoral process as a whole
The ability of political parties and candidates to campaign freely
The degree of bias or otherwise in the media, in the government, in the opposition
The secrecy of the ballot
The transparency of the count and the collation of the results.
The electoral environment
But what they cannot do is supervise the election, but only observe the process as a whole and form a judgment accordingly. As the international community needs to recognise that its role is limited, both in influence on the process or in the result to produce a free and fair election.
On the other hand the electorate too has a responsibility. It is well known that there have been no elections held in the North of Sri Lanka, for many decades. Thus although the process may have been initiated, the electorate may be unaccustomed.
Free, but not fair election
The NPC election may be free, but could it be fair?
It could be not fair because the electorate in the North may be poorly informed about the issues or the candidates due to lack of objectivity, freedom of speech, propaganda or other undue influence. Some observers state they people have not come out of the shock of the loss of their bereaved, or the unaccounted persons, or of their trauma over thirty long years of war. They may be mesmerised by the development around them, but after four years of this war, they may still not have regained their bearings as responsible free citizens.
Others may argue that they are not free, not really free to vote. It is not the freedom to vote and the knowledge of how to cast a vote but about the participation process, which has been long forgotten by other issues nearer home. It may well be fear which determines how they vote, whether "big brother" is watching. It may be that they may still have qualms of voting, remembering what the LTTE told them "not to vote." It may be because of their despair, that whether they vote or not, their lot cannot change.
The litmus test whether the election to the NPC is fair or not, is in the participation "of the people, by the people, for the people of the North".
Sri Lankan Monitors have come out with various opinions prior to the election. "The People Action for Free and Fair Elections" (PAFFREL) have stated that the postal vote was largely peaceful with minor incidents reported. CaFFE (Campaign for Free and Fair Elections) has pointed out the roles and responsibilities of senior public officials. Further, the letter petition to the IGP by the "Network for Election Monitoring of Intellectuals for Human Rights" (NEMIHR), have demanded all firearms that are with politicians should be taken over before the election.
The issue is the ability of the voters in the North to engage in public debate and have adequate information about the contesting parties, policies, candidates and election process itself, to make an informed choice, which really matters. This may take years.
The monitors, the media or the Commonwealth observers cannot guarantee a free and fair election. But, the government by holding the election, perhaps, as a confidence building exercise and the monitor's action as a deterrent to malpractice, will savour the day for the voter in the North.
It is also my view, that the Tamil political parties contesting the election for the seats in NPC, will remember that the voter will want an achievable roadmap for the future for Tamils and not reach for the "moon and the stars, "which they can hardly deliver.
The credibility of any manifesto drafted in indelible ink and set in stone, could well be in question. Perhaps, a starter road map in pencil, to accommodate the various priorities that need to be identified and which can be honoured, may suffice at present.
Surely, the highest of these priorities, as I see it, is to maintain a sense of perspective and purpose for the future of the people of the North.


text:
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm/Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers
Trina Bell's Humming Summer (Kindle 4%)
- Silke Stein
The distance between us is not only physical. My father is like the expensive present in the display box on the top of your wardrobe -- the fancy doll with which you are never allowed to play. All you can do is admire from afar.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Research article
- Open Access
Alteration in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) after treatment of mice with herbal mixture containing Euphoria longana, Houttuynia cordata and Dioscorea japonica
© Jeon et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2014
- Received: 18 September 2014
- Accepted: 14 November 2014
- Published: 28 November 2014
Literature data indicate that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and phospho-CREB (pCREB) may have a place in depression. BDNF belongs to the neurotrophin family that plays an important role in proliferation, survival and differentiation of different cell populations in the mammalian nervous system. The herbal mixture used in the present study consists of Euphoria longana, Houttuynia cordata and Dioscorea japonica. The purpose of the present study was to determine the neuroprotective effect of herbal mixture. We also tested the hypothesis that administration of herbs reverses memory deficits and promotes the protein expression of BDNF in the mouse brain.
Mice were randomized into four different treatment groups (n = 10/group). Normal and stress groups received regular lab chow without stress and under stress conditions, respectively, for 3 weeks. The animals in the stress group were immobilized for 4 hours a day for 2 weeks. Different doses of herbal mixture (206 and 618 mg/kg) were administered for 3 weeks to those mice under stress conditions. Mice were analyzed by behavioral tests and immunoblotting examination in the hippocampus and cortex. An additional in vitro investigation was performed to examine whether herbs induce neurotoxicity in a human neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y cells.
No significant toxicity of herbs on human neuroblastoma cells was observed. These herbs demonstrated an inductive effect on the expression of BDNF, pCREB and pAkt. For spatial working memory test, herbal mixture fed mice exhibited an increased level of spontaneous alternation (p < 0.01) compared to those in stress conditions. Moreover, herbal mixture produced highly significant (p < 0.01) reduction in the immobility time in the tail suspension test. Mice in the herbal mixture groups demonstrated lower serum corticosterone concentration than mice in the stress group (p < 0.05). Effects of the oral administration of herbal mixture on protein levels of BDNF in the hippocampi and cortices were significant.
Our study showed that herbal mixture administration has antidepressant effects in mice. It is proposed that adverse events such as stress and depression can modulate the expression of molecular players of cellular plasticity in the brain.
- Stress
- Depression
- Memory
- Euphoria longana
- Houttuynia cordata
- Dioscorea japonica
Specific data from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study confirmed that mental and substance use disorders account for 7.4% of disease burden worldwide which is greater than HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (5.3%), diabetes (2%) or transport injuries (3.3%) [1]. Depression in particular is projected to become the leading cause of disability and the second leading contributor to the global burden of disease in approximately 10 years [2]. As a heterogeneous disorder with unclear etiology, depression includes disturbance of neurogenesis, genetic predisposition, deficiency of monoamines, hypercortisolemia, reduction of neurotrophins, inflammation and oxidative stress [3].
It has been proposed that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as one of neurotrophins, may be a key player in depression since it is involved in regulation of neuronal differentiation, survival, function and plasticity [4]. This neurotrophic hypothesis of depression claims that decreased levels of BDNF contribute to the hippocampal atrophy seen in depressed patients [5]. Depressive symptoms are also associated with decreased serum level of BDNF [6]. These evidences have already led to clinical trials of antidepressant medications for treating major depression, although there are some gaps in the clinical outcomes depending on the classes of psychotropic drugs and uncertainty about whether drugs that specifically target depressive symptoms are feasible and safe. The transcription of BDNF is dependent on cyclic-AMP response element-binding protein (CREB).
CREB is a transcriptional factor implicated in the control of adaptive neuronal responses. It has been found that calcium ions in neurons bind to a calcium response element within the BDNF gene which triggers phosphorylation of CREB and subsequent activation of BDNF transcription [7]. Depression is accompanied by downregulated and decreased phosphorylated CREB (pCREB). A growing number of clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that structural and functional modifications of hippocampus from antidepressant treatments most likely require the transcription and protein expression of CREB, despite some inconsistencies in its mRNA and protein levels depending on the brain regions where such molecule is expressed [7]. CREB is regulated by several pathways including protein kinase B (PKB/Akt).
Antidepressant medications are effective at treating depression, but discontinuation rates are high because adverse effects are common [8]. For example, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) frequently cause gastrointestinal problems, insomnia, headache, anxiety and sexual dysfunction although they are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants [9]. Considering the side effects of synthetic antidepressants, natural plants can be alternative sources of new antidepressant drugs due to their more tolerable and less toxic properties. Therefore, the current study was performed as the progress toward finding reliable alternatives to depression.
Three different ingredients of traditional Korean medicine for depression were selected to observe the effects of them in cell culture and animal experiment. Euphoria longana Lam., especially a dried longan seed extract, contain high levels of antioxidant polyphenolic compounds [10]. Longan seed extracts are found to possess anticancer properties by inducing apoptosis [11]. Houttuynia cordata Thunb. is a single species of its genus and the whole plant of H. cordata is used for the treatment of diabetes [12]. Reported pharmacological activities of plant include anticancer [13], anti-inflammatory [13] and antioxidant [14]. The rhizome of Dioscorea japonica Thunb. has been used to strengthen stomach function, improve anorexia, eliminate diarrhea, dilute sputum, and moisturize skin in traditional Chinese medicine [15]. An ethanol extract of the rhizome of D. japonica showed considerable cytotoxic activity against some human tumor cell lines [16]. These three natural plants have been used as traditional herbal medicines in the treatment of neurological disorders in Korea. However, few studies have evaluated their antidepressant effects. The effects of these three herbs on BDNF, pCREB and pAkt are currently unknown. In this experiment, one human neuroblastoma cell line was used to investigate the neuroprotective effect of herbs. We also tested the hypothesis that administration of herbs reverses memory deficits and promotes the protein expression of BDNF in the mouse brain. To test the hypothesis, three different settings of neuronal cell culture, behaviour study and their brains have been used in the present study.
Preparation of herbal extracts
All medicinal herbs used were purchased from DY Herb (Seoul, Korea). Each herb was boiled in 30% ethanol mixed filter-purified drinking water for 2 h at 100°C in a reflux condenser. For the cellular experiment, aqueous extract of each herb was freeze-dried and the dried extract was reconstructed with distilled water and filtered through 0.2 μm filter (Millipore, MA, USA). In addition, the resulting dry powder of each herb was mixed with the same ratio and added into the feed in the animal studies.
Cell culture
Human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells were obtained from American Type Culture Collection (Rockville, MD, USA). Cells were maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's minimum essential medium (DMEM, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA), 100 unit/ml penicillin and 100 μg/ml streptomycin (Gibco-BRL, Rockville, MD, USA) with further addition of trypsin-EDTA (Gibco-BRL, Rockville, MD, USA) in condition of 95% air and 5% CO2 at 37°C.
Cell viability assay
Cell viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthizaol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA) assay. SH-SY5Y cells were seeded in 12-well plates (Corning Incorporated, USA) at a density of 5 × 103 cells/well, stabilized at 37°C for 16 h in DMEM medium supplemented with FBS and cultured with the indicated concentrations of herbs for 24 h. The medium was removed and the cells were incubated with 2 mg/ml of MTT solution. After incubation for 4 h at 37°C and 5% CO2, the supernatants were removed and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, Sigma, USA) was added. The reactants were measured in terms of optical density (OD) at 580 nm with a microplate reader (UV max, Molecular Devices, USA). The optical densities were converted into percentages using the following formula: Cell viability (%) = OD sample/OD negative control × 100. Negative control cells were treated with complete DMEM alone.
Quantification of BDNF/pCREB/pAkt expression by Western blot analysis
SH-SY5Y cells were maintained in serum-free medium with herbs at 30 μg/ml for 24 h. Cells were then washed twice with ice-cold PBS and lysed in lysis buffer containing 62.5 mmol/L Tris–HCl, pH 6.8, 2% SDS, 20% glycerol, 10% 2-mercaptoethanol and protease inhibitors. After incubation for 30 min on ice, cell lysates were centrifuged and protein concentrations were determined using bicinchoninic acid method (Pierce). Samples of cell lysate containing 50 μg of total protein were separated by 4-12% SDS-PAGE and transferred onto nitrocellulose membrane (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Buckinghamshire, UK) by electroblotting. After blocking with 5% skim milk in Tris-buffered saline (50 mmol/L Tris–HCl, pH 7.6, 150 mmul/L NaCl, 0.1% Tween-20) for more than 30 min, the membranes were incubated for 16 h at 4°C with primary antibodies (anti-BDNF, anti-phosphorylated-CREB, anti-phosphorylated-Akt, β-actin antibody) and further incubated with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibodies for 1 h. The membranes were visualized by an enhanced chemiluminescence system (ECL kit; Pierce, Rockford, IL, USA). Densitometric analysis was performed by Quantity One (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA) to scan the signals. Further assay was carried out to detect BDNF protein expression in the hippocampus and cortex. The treated hippocampal and cortical tissues removed and homogenized in lysis buffer containing 50 mM Tris-base (pH 7.5), 150 mM NaCl, 2 mM EDTA, 1% glycerol, 10 mM NaF, 10 mM Na-pyrophosphate, 1% NP-40 and protease inhibitors (0.1 mM phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, 5 μg/ml aprotinin, and 5 μg/ml leupeptin). Thirty μg of tissue lysate were electrophoresed using SDS-polyacrylamide gels and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes, which were then incubated with anti-BDNF (Cell signaling technology, Beverly, MA, USA) for 16 h at 4°C. After washing with TBS-T (0.05%), the blots were incubated with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit or anti-mouse IgG, and the bands were visualized using the ECL system (Thermo Fisher Scienctific, USA). Band images were obtained by using a Molecular Imager ChemiDoc XRS+ (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) and band intensity was analyzed using Image Lab™ software version 2.0.1 (Bio-Rad).
Experimental animals
Protocols for animal use were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital and were in accordance with National Institute of Health guidelines. Healthy male ICR mice (20–26 g, 6 weeks old) were obtained from OrientBio (Seoul, Korea) and were allowed 1 week for quarantine and acclimatization. Animals were housed under the conditions of constant temperature (22 ± 1°C), relative humidity (55 ± 1%) and 12 h light/12 h dark cycle (light on at 7:00 am). They were housed in polycarbonate cages and given tap water and commercial rodent chow (Samyang Feed, Daejeon, Korea) ad libitum. Forty mice were blindly randomized into four different treatment groups (n = 10/group). Normal and stress groups received regular lab chow without stress and under stress conditions, respectively, for 3 weeks. The animals in the stress group were immobilized for 4 h a day for 2 weeks by being gently inserted into a flexible triangle shaped vinyl screen that was closed and secured with nonallergic adhesive tape. Different doses of herbal mixture (206 and 618 mg/kg which are equivalent to the recommended adult human dose of 1000 and 3000 mg/kg, respectively) were administered for 3 weeks to those mice under stress conditions. The herbal mixture of E. longana, H. cordata and D. japonica was in a ratio of 1:1:1 by weight. Lab chow with or without herbal mixture was prepared for a mouse to have 1 g/kg/day which is equivalent to 7 g/60 kg/day for human and was gamma-irradiated. In order to examine the nutritional status, body weight was evaluated in mice that were fed with normal or herb mixture diet. At the end of experiment period, all animals were immediately decapitated, and their hippocampus and cortex of brains were collected and frozen at −80°C for following analysis. Blood was collected from the heart by cardiac puncture prior to the excision of brain, then after centrifugation serum aliquots were stored at −70°C for further corticosterone determination. The concentration of serum corticosterone was measured with the Corticosterone EIA Kit (Enzo Life Sciences, Farmingdale, NY, USA) in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Step-through passive avoidance test
The apparatus (AP model; O'Hara Co., Tokyo, Japan) for the step-through passive avoidance test consisted of two compartments, an illuminated compartment [100 mm · 120 mm · 100 mm; light at the top of compartment (27 W, 3000 lx)] and a dark compartment (100 mm · 170 mm · 100 mm). The compartments were separated by a guillotine door. During the training trial, a mouse was placed in the safe, illuminated compartment. As the compartment was lit, the mouse stepped through the opened guillotine door into the dark compartment. The time spent in the illuminated compartment was defined as the latency time. Three seconds after the mouse entered the dark compartment, a foot shock (0.3 mA, 50 V, 50 Hz ac for 3 seconds) was delivered to the floor grids in the dark compartment. The mouse could escape from the shock only by stepping back to the safe illuminated compartment. Mice remaining in the light chamber for more than 120 seconds during the learning stage were excluded from the following retention trial. The retention trials were carried out at 24 h after the training trial to evaluate the retention of avoidance memory. The latency time was measured for up to 300 seconds without delivering a foot shock. It was judged that the mouse retained the avoidance memory when it stayed in the illuminated safe compartment for 300 seconds.
Y-maze test
This behavioral test was performed at 48 h after the passive avoidance test. The maze was made of black painted wood; each arm was 40 cm long, 12 cm high, 3 cm wide at the bottom and 10 cm wide at the top. The arms converged at an equilateral triangular central area that was 4 cm at its longest axis. Each mouse was placed at the centre of the apparatus and allowed to move freely through the maze for 8 min. The series of arm entries was recorded visually. Alternation was defined as successive entry into the three arms on overlapping triplet sets. Alternation behavior (%) was calculated as the ratio of actual alternations to possible alternations (defined as the number of arm entries minus two) multiplied by 100.
Forced swimming test
Mice were placed in a Plexiglas cylinder 25 cm in height with a 15 cm internal diameter containing water at a temperature of 25 ± 1°C and a depth of 10 cm so they could not escape and could not touch the bottom. Water was changed between each swim session to prevent possible effects of an alarm substance released by mice during the swim session. There were two swim sessions. The first was 15 min pre-test swim for 3 days in a row and a second 5 min swim test. The pre-test facilitates the development of immobility during the test session and increases the sensitivity for detecting antidepressant behavioral effects. The 5 min swim test was used for analysis of behavior such as swimming, climbing and immobility.
Tail suspension test
Mice both acoustically and visually isolated were suspended individually by their tails 40 cm above the tabletop with the use of an adhesive tape placed approximately 1 cm from the tip of the tail. After a few minutes of vigorous activity, the mice hung passively and completely motionless. The total immobility period in number of seconds was scored throughout the 6 min test. Mice were considered immobile with the absence of any limb or body movements, except for those caused by respiration. A decrease in the duration of immobility is indicative of an antidepressant-like effect [17].
Data analysis
All statistical analyses were conducted with SPSS (ver. 19, Somers, NY, USA). Values are expressed as means ± SEM. All data were analyzed using Student's t-test. Statistical significance was accepted at a p value less than 0.05.
Effect of herbs on cell viability
Effect of herbs on BDNF/pCREB/pAkt expression
Antidepressant effect of herbal mixture
Numerous medicinal herbs have been employed as a form of mixture or decoction since their effects can be manifested after total and final reaction by their constituent compounds when administered to humans. The herbal mixture used in the present study consists of E. longana, H. cordata and D. japonica which demonstrated an inductive effect on the expression of BDNF, pCREB and pAkt. These herbs have been used as a therapeutic agent for cerebral disease especially in Korea in conjunction with Sasang Constitutional Medicine which takes a typological constitution approach to holistic medicine by balancing an individual's psychological, social and physical aspects to achieve wellness and increased longevity.
The present study demonstrated that oral administration of herbal mixture in both doses (206 and 618 mg/kg) alleviated stress induced learning and memory deficits for mice by remaining in the well-lit side of a two compartment apparatus and not entering the dark where it received the electrical stimulus. Since mouse innately gravitates to darkness, the animal has to suppress this instinct through pairing the aversive stimulus (electrical stimulus) with the desired compartment (dark chamber). Animals that do not remember the aversive stimulus will cross over earlier than animals that remember. In addition, it was clear that the level of exploratory activities was not affected by the spatial working memory of mice. Herbal mixture treatment also decreased the immobility time in the tail suspension test. In order to understand the molecular mechanism of herbal mixture induced antidepressant effects in the brain, the present study investigated BDNF protein levels in hippocampus and cortex of mice under stress and compared values with herbal mixture fed mice under stress. Treatment with herbal mixture showed a significant increase in BDNF translation level.
Chronic stress may lead to psychotic symptoms including depression and suicide [18]. Studies have shown that the hippocampus is affected by stress. Depression invoked by stress has been associated with neuronal atrophy and decreased volume of hippocampus [19]–[21]. Several clinical reports have shown depression-induced deregulation of serum BDNF concentration. Depressed patients were characterized by low serum BDNF levels [6],[22],[23], implying an inverse relationship between serum BDNF levels and the severity of depression. Support for this comes from a number of studies demonstrating that treatment with antidepressants has been shown to increase BDNF levels in serum [6],[23],[24] and plasma [25]. It is speculated that lower BDNF levels may be caused by dysregulation of BDNF expression. This was evidenced with decreased BDNF mRNA and protein levels in post-mortem hippocampus and frontal cortex of suicide victims [26]. Recent reports further support the speculation that antidepressant treatment increased BDNF protein levels in serum [27] and in both prefrontal cortex and hippocampus [28]. In the current study, herbal mixture administration with low and high dose increased the BDNF protein levels in hippocampus and cortex compared to the stress group. Herbal mixture might have significantly increased the BDNF transcript levels as well although they were not evaluated in our study.
Several types of stressors have been known to disrupt BDNF expression. For example, single (one day) or repeated (7 days) immobilization for 2 hours per day markedly reduced BDNF mRNA levels in the dentate gyrus and hippocampus [29]. This was later confirmed by other investigators who used the same stress paradigm [30]. Other types of stressors such as footshock [31], early maternal deprivation [32], social defeat [33] and chronic unpredictable stress before pregnancy [34] were correlated with decreased BDNF expression. In our study using immobilization as a stressor, no significant changes in BDNF protein level were observed in hippocampus and cortex. It can be proposed that stress induced changes in BDNF protein level may be involved in other brain regions. The other hypothesis is that immobilization stress duration was too long enough to neutralize the downregulation of BDNF expression. Interestingly, brief immobilization stress can induce BDNF expression as part of a compensatory response to preserve hippocampal homeostasis to cope with new stress [35].
Our study provides further data that herbal mixture is able to modulate serum corticosterone level in mice under stress conditions. This effect could be either of peripheral origin through a direct action of herbal mixture on adrenal glands, or of central origin via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The inverse relationship between memory performance and corticosterone level in stress conditions from our study confirms the past report that chronic stress in rodents has mostly impairing effects on memory [36]. Moreover, a long term immobilization stress has been shown to affect spatial memory [37] which is in accordance with our data of short term immobilization paradigm.
In conclusion, our study showed that herbal mixture administration has antidepressant effects in mice. Each herb induced the expression of BDNF, pCREB and pAkt. The administration of herbal mixture significantly increased BDNF protein expression in mouse hippocampus and cortex.
Authors' Affiliations
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Wednesday Kickaround
*U.S. Open Cup play-in match tonight at RFK: D.C. United vs. New York Red Bulls. Kickoff is 7 p.m. No TV. Radio available at WTOP (1050 AM) and streamed through D.C. United's Web site. For season ticket holders, this is "Special Game B." For walk-ups, plenty of good seats are available.
*The formal Ben Olsen story.
*Chivas USA defender Claudio Suarez (calf) has come off the disabled list and is eligible to play his first game of the season this weekend at Kansas City.
*Ticket sales for the USA-Honduras World Cup qualifier June 6 at Chicago's Soldier Field have surpassed 40,000. Man, that's a lot of Catrachos supporters.
*Matthew Mbuta, on loan to Crystal Palace Baltimore from the New York Red Bulls, was named USL2 player of the week.
*For an excellent piece about non-conforming St. Pauli, its place in the Hamburg fussball scene and how it all might relate to MLS, read Brian Straus's latest column.
*Soccer on TV:
UEFA Cup final: Shakhtar Donetsk-Werder Bremen in Istanbul 2:30 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel
Mexico semifinals, first leg: Puebla-Pumas 9 p.m. Azteca America
*Americans Abroad:
MF Alejandro Bedoya and Orebro at Malmo (Sweden)
Steve Goff
May 20, 2009; 6:13 AM ET
Categories: D.C. United , Germany , MLS , TV , U.S. Open Cup , U.S. men's national team , USL
Save & Share: Previous: Olsen's Thoughts
Next: USA Roster Projections
Wow--6:13am--you're getting a very early start on the day. How soon before we seen Soccer Insider: 24-7 with the motto "All Soccer All the Time"?
While I"m sorry to see Ben Olsen out with injury, a hamstring issue isn't a sign of his body breaking down. Hammies took out Fred and Quaranta earlier this year and last year as well.
Should be an interesting mix of bodies for tonight's game. I'd bed that Angel doesn't start and probably doesn't play. But Rojas (who's suspended for this weekend) starts--and with no Olsen to pester him, that will raise the chance he has an impact for the Red Bulls.
Posted by: JoeW1 | May 20, 2009 7:13 AM | Report abuse
I went to a St. Pauli game four years ago and the experience is all that, and more. I sat with friends who have season tickets and within a few minutes of us talking the people around us realized I was American and were excited that an American would be into the game. The punks to our left (dog collars, mohawks) and the grandparents / grandson to our right (sweaters / slacks) started offering me their beers and teaching me songs. The place fully rocked start to finish. Oh, and their 3rd jersey (or maybe 1st?) was a brown and white camouflage - very cool.
That being said, my understanding of how the team became punk is that in the 70s the anarchists embraced the team, partially because of the neighborhood, and partially in opposition to "the man" (HSV). The skull and crossbones shirts were handmade for years before the team embraced it and put it all over the team store. So it's been a slow growth into counterculture, and from what my friends say, the team didn't have much choice - this was their core fanbase.
I guess my point is, I'd love DCU to be like St. Pauli, but you can't make it a marketing ploy. I think our equivalent is what we see in the Barra or La Norte when they were behind the goal. But being in a city with one team, it's going to draw the mainstream fans (which in itself is far from homogeneous) and the counterculture (ditto) and everything in between.
Cool story, I love both teams, would love to see a friendly between the two.
Posted by: eadc | May 20, 2009 7:31 AM | Report abuse
You think Chicago will have more Catracho supporters (percentage-wise) than DC did for the USMNT game back in 2001?
Posted by: dukestreetkid | May 20, 2009 8:07 AM | Report abuse
DCU may not be able to duplicate St.Pauli, but Straus's points about what should and should not be in MLS stadium design are right on. "Better to have basic, humble digs downtown than a soulless palace in the far-flung suburbs ..."
Posted by: granadoskerry | May 20, 2009 8:09 AM | Report abuse
Thank you for the daily kickarounds. I hadn't planned on working today, but went to work forgetting it was Wednesday until I checked here.
Posted by: sitruc | May 20, 2009 8:14 AM | Report abuse
Couldn't agree more with granadoskerry. I'd also note that what sounds like an awesome stadium is also new: "The Millerntor's brand-new, 12 million euro south stand features terracing for the ultras, seats for fans who want a bit more comfort and even a few suites up near the top."
Give the fans the right sort of home, and we'll take this club to the next level of futbol.
Posted by: dcbird | May 20, 2009 8:39 AM | Report abuse
word quibble -- not sure based on the description that St. Pauli is "non-conforming" so much as they are simply conforming to a different standard. But I've never been there so I don't know. But I did go to Dead shows in the 90s . . . . if everybody is wearing variations of expensive store-bought tie-dye, are they rebelling or conforming?
"It's my way of sticking it to the man"
"But sir you ARE the man."
"I know."
"So, you're sticking it to yourself?"
Posted by: OWNTF | May 20, 2009 8:50 AM | Report abuse
Any chance those tickets are being sold to US supporters? Chicago is after all a relatively cheap, and easy travel destination isn't it?
Interesting points in the St. Pauli story. Maybe it's time to dig the old, trusty 3rd Jersey torch out of the closet and get er' lit again?
Wish I could make the match tonight, it's really too bad that BIG MLS clubs can't get their act together and offer live streams of these matches.
Posted by: DadRyan | May 20, 2009 8:50 AM | Report abuse
What could be the reasons for US Soccer to again create a home field atmosphere for out opponents in WC qualification?
Jamaica in DC '97
Guatemala in DC '00
Honduras in DC '01
and now Honduras in Chicago.
Yes we dont play Mexico in LA, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, etc..
But COME ON NOW! Are they, US Soccer so incompetent or so greedy (Eg kickbacks from Mayor Daley's Union buddies who work at Soldier Field)
Count me amazed about this venue being chosen in the first place. Go USA!
Posted by: Granitza78 | May 20, 2009 8:52 AM | Report abuse
The jamaica game was 50/50..had a killer time! I would love to see that again. Maybe we should play mexico in the rosebowl. We could hire some better coaches w/ all those $$.
Posted by: gode | May 20, 2009 9:07 AM | Report abuse
@Posted by: Granitza78
While I understand completely your rant, you have to at least suggest an alternative location.
Posted by: JkR- | May 20, 2009 9:19 AM | Report abuse
A new "American Abroad" to keep track of
Posted by: BlackandRedRedDevil | May 20, 2009 9:29 AM | Report abuse
Shakhtar Donetsk - isn't he one of the Forsaken Rand al'Thor needs to kill?
Posted by: joedoc1 | May 20, 2009 9:30 AM | Report abuse
Shakhtar Donetsk - isn't he one of the Forsaken Rand al'Thor needs to kill?
Posted by: joedoc1 | May 20, 2009 9:30 AM
Just to clarify JoeDoc or anyone else's confusion. Apparently Shakhtar is the word Ukrainians use for "WAXTAP".
Posted by: Joel_M_Lane | May 20, 2009 9:38 AM | Report abuse
Goff, thanks for the link to Mr. Strauss
""Who brags about seeing an aging, popular band in a large stadium years after their first platinum album? Nobody. But everyone wants to be able to say they were there at the beginning, standing in a small, smokey club listening to a bunch of unknowns destined for stardom."
Herr Payne . . . how bout you forget about that silly laser light show? How bout you reduce the cost of the stadium by eliminating some luxury suites for a bunch of boring suits? How bout it?
Posted by: delantero | May 20, 2009 9:41 AM | Report abuse
Maybe they should just play hockey instead. Would that make you happy?
Poor USA, having to play its home games... in the USA. Indeed, one wonders what they're thinking.
Reminds me of the moaning about group play draws at the World Cup: "We worked so hard to make it to the Cup finals. WHY do we have to play all these good teams?! Wah!"
Posted by: Godfather_of_Goals | May 20, 2009 9:44 AM | Report abuse
Antonio Montana, head of USSF:
"Look, the time has come, we gotta expand, the whole operation. New York, Chicago, L.A. We gotta set our own mark and enforce it."
Posted by: Godfather_of_Goals | May 20, 2009 9:51 AM | Report abuse
How bout you reduce the cost of the stadium by eliminating some luxury suites for a bunch of boring suits? How bout it?
Posted by: delantero | May 20, 2009 9:41 AM
Hmmmmmmmm. I can't think of a single professional team that has made money selling luxury suites to wealthy individuals or businesses.
You're right, delantero. Forget the luxury boxes! Who needs 'em?!
Posted by: joedoc1 | May 20, 2009 10:04 AM | Report abuse
Everyone, read the St Pauli article. That's fantastic.
Posted by: Reignking | May 20, 2009 10:25 AM | Report abuse
The St. Pauli model makes sense in a saturated market, where there isn't much to distinguish teams. It makes no sense at all in MLS, where a small number of top tier teams are allowed to play, and those teams need all the fans and revenue as they can have to stay afloat.
Maybe, MAYBE, those suggestions could work in the PDL.
Posted by: Mastodon_Juan | May 20, 2009 10:32 AM | Report abuse
*Ticket sales for the USA-Honduras World Cup qualifier June 6 at Chicago's Soldier Field have surpassed 40,000.
This should be the largest crowd for a home qualifier since the infamous RFK Honduras match in 2001. I applaud the Federation for not hiding it somewhere like Columbus or Salt Lake. There could be a decent US crowd there (like there was at RFK). It's a big game and it's nearly summer in Chicago.
Posted by: Kev29 | May 20, 2009 10:33 AM | Report abuse
I've been wishing for years that DCU would schedule a friendly with St. Pauli. Maybe Dema could reach out to both and make it happen.
One other thing that MLS teams could stand to learn from St. Pauli is how to merchandise. You can get pretty much anything in the St. Pauli team store with their logo or a skull and crossbones on it (which is a bit odd given their largely anti-capitalist fan base, but I definitely bought a bunch of crap when I was there).
Posted by: joe_hill | May 20, 2009 10:56 AM | Report abuse
@Joel_M_Lane: Nothing. WAXTAP with you?
Posted by: I-270Exit1 | May 20, 2009 11:01 AM | Report abuse
I don't understand Chicago for Honduras. They couldn't get anyone to show up to Bridgeview for T&T, and they've given us another away game during a crucial stretch of qualifying.
What happened to saving the big stadiums (and related payday) for the friendly matches? I think Utah would have been a good bet for this one.
Posted by: lroth | May 20, 2009 11:01 AM | Report abuse
The St. Pauli article was outstanding and should be required reading for all MLS top brass and team owners. If and when DC does get a stadium I really hope they take into account the noise factor. Keeping the crowd noise in the stadium is a huge step towards building a great atmosphere.
Posted by: jwgreen40 | May 20, 2009 11:16 AM | Report abuse
WAXTAP with you?
Posted by: I-270Exit1 | May 20, 2009 11:01 AM
I'm doing well thanks for asking.
All fans of the beautiful game should follow I270's example today and, to commemorate the last ever UEFA Cup Final, correctly use "WAXTAP" in a sentence.
Posted by: Joel_M_Lane | May 20, 2009 11:43 AM | Report abuse
Dominic Cervi is a patient lad, that's for sure. I was wondering what had happened to him. I guess it was worth it for him to sit out a year, with the promised reward of a Celtic contract awaiting him.
Well, good for him. I hope he develops. I'm not sold on Guzan.
Posted by: fischy | May 20, 2009 12:14 PM | Report abuse
Because it's DC, the team will dream of selling suites to the powerbrokers. That's OK, so long as it can be expected to pay for the facility, and doesn't impact the supporters below.
I will say that the point about the food is a fair one. Soccer isn't baseball or football. There aren't breaks to leisurely graze, and the game is over in less than 2 hours. There should be some decent food -- better than what the stands at RFK offer -- that can be eaten quickly. No one going to a United game would be willing to spend the 20 minutes that Nats fans spend waiting for Ben's Chili Bowl. If games become events, many fans, especially on weekends, will get their fill at tailgate parties.
The stadium -- if there ever is one -- should focus on the game and the experience of those who have come to cheer and watch it. Not those eating in a luxury box, or hanging out at the concessions stands -- Build a ring of luxury suites -- fine. For the rest of us: Some quick, decent finger food, and a lot of beer stands with short lines.
Posted by: fischy | May 20, 2009 12:29 PM | Report abuse
Prawn sandwiches!
Posted by: I-270Exit1 | May 20, 2009 1:22 PM | Report abuse
As someone that has gone to a lot of FC St. Pauli games since 1990, I can categorically tell you that no sports "franchise" in the United States will ever follow their model. Their model is fan-driven and more about representing their neighborhood than making money. The club itself is notoriously bad with money (so much that there are professionally done songs about how bad they are run), contracts, and transfers.
Fan boycotts are common and the members of the Football Club St. Pauli (an actual club that has elections on who runs the club) have intervened to toss out Presidents and other managers at the club. The entire direction of the club has come from fans not wanting the fan experience you get at top flight clubs (that you are a walking wallet to be separated from your money). The increasing popularity of the FC St. Pauli "brand" has caused plenty of consternation among their core fans.
This would all be in opposition to MLS' stance and what the league has done since the beginning. Imagine the Barra/Eagles/La Norte forcing DC United to lower ticket and concession prices through a boycott? Yea, MLS owners would want that...
Posted by: revltion1 | May 20, 2009 1:38 PM | Report abuse
Imagine the Barra/Eagles/La Norte forcing DC United to lower ticket and concession prices through a boycott? Yea, MLS owners would want that...
Posted by: revltion1
United front office would find a way to join the protest and steer it in the direction they want.
Posted by: Kev29 | May 20, 2009 2:04 PM | Report abuse
I was thinking cucumber sandwiches.
Posted by: fischy | May 20, 2009 2:38 PM | Report abuse
Kev29, they already have. While the fan groups at DC United have more voice at the FO that other teams let their fan groups have, at the final whistle, they have been co-opted. This type of arrangement works well for MLS and the US because it has given the fans a much larger voice than they would otherwise have. Fans in the US are basically $$$ for the franchises (or does anyone think that Snyder, Angelos, or the Lerners care about anything other than the revenue their teams generate for them) so why should they have any say? At least the DC United Front Office recognizes the efforts and contribution of their fan groups. But even still, we've had to accept ever rising ticket and concession prices without end...
Posted by: revltion1 | May 20, 2009 2:39 PM | Report abuse
Sorry. Roy Keane's quote didn't offer a Kosher option.
Posted by: I-270Exit1 | May 20, 2009 2:50 PM | Report abuse
WAXTAP this!! Shaktar takes the first half lead...
Posted by: fischy | May 20, 2009 3:22 PM | Report abuse
Posted by: I-270Exit1 | May 20, 2009 3:47 PM | Report abuse
"All fans of the beautiful game should follow I270's example today and, to commemorate the last ever UEFA Cup Final, correctly use "WAXTAP" in a sentence."
It was a nice day outside, sunny and all, so I decided to wash my car, get it all shiny and WAXTAP.
Posted by: SportzNut21 | May 20, 2009 3:48 PM | Report abuse
Mr. Miyagi: "Danielsan! Wax on, WAXTAP!"
Posted by: joedoc1 | May 20, 2009 4:06 PM | Report abuse
Now that I look at Shakhtar's website, I see that, in caps, it's |_|_|AXTAP, but in lowercase, it's |_|_|axtep.
I'd hate to try to have a spelling bee in Ukraine (or Russia, or any Cyrillic-using country, for that matter).
Posted by: SportzNut21 | May 20, 2009 4:17 PM | Report abuse
To borrow a phrase (thanks JoeDoc)
Did somebody say Float (thanks Flogging Molly)
drank away the rest of the day
wonder what my liver'd say
drink, thats all you can
blackened days with their bigger gales
blow in your parlor to discuss the day
listen, that's all you can
ah but don't, no don't sink the boat
that you built, you built to keep afloat
Posted by: googlio | May 20, 2009 6:57 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.


text:
Home > Calculator Technology
The pages linked from here explain some of the calculator technology that may be encountered. Electronic calculators developed very rapidly through the 1960s and early 1970s and technology soon became obsolete.
Click on a picture for more details and more bigger pictures.
Examples of common mechanical calculator mechanisms
The development of calculator electronics.
Calculator Electronic Displays
The development of calculator electronic displays.
Calculator Keyboard Layouts
Some of the different types of keyboard layout that may be encountered.
Vintage Calculators
© Text & photographs copyright Nigel Tout 2000-2019 except where noted otherwise.


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She has just landed her first Victoria's Secret runway gig.
And Bella Hadid celebrated by showing the world just why she's been chosen to walk in the lingerie line's annual Fashion Show in Paris.
The model, 20, stars in an underwear selfie in which she displays her incredible body complete with impressive boobs, taut tummy and very slim hips.
Bella stands in high heels with what appears to be a pair of jeans down around her ankles.
She's wearing a low cut black bra and black thong panties as her make-up artist Vincent Oquendo attends to her. He then shared the snap on his Instagram.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3875272/Bella-Hadid-shows-incredible-body-underwear-selfie-landing-Victoria-s-Secret-gig.html#ixzz4ODLTNs1B


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MC Hammer is listed in the credits for the following albums:
|Jon Gibson
|Change of Heart
|Songwriter, Rap (The Wall)
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell, better known by his stage name M.C. Hammer is an American hip hop recording artist, dancer, record producer, entrepreneur, and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the late 1990s. Remembered for his rapid rise to fame, Hammer is known for hit records (such as "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit"), flashy dance movements, choreography and eponymous Hammer pants.
A multi-award winner, M.C. Hammer is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album. Hammer was later considered a sellout due in part to overexposure as an entertainer (having live instrumentation/bands, choreographed dance routines and an impact on popular culture being regularly referenced on television and in music) and as a result of being too "commercial" when rap was "hardcore" at one point, then his image later becoming increasingly "gritty" to once again adapt to the ever-changing landscape of rap. Regardless, BET ranked Hammer as the #7 "Best Dancer Of All Time". Vibe's "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round.
Burrell became a preacher during the late 1990s with a Christian ministry program on TBN called M.C. Hammer and Friends. Additionally, he starred in a Saturday morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991 and was executive producer of his own reality show called Hammertime which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009. Hammer was also a television show host and dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was co-creator of a dance website called DanceJam.com, and is a record label CEO while still performing concerts at music venues and assisting with other social media, ministry and outreach functions. Prior to becoming ordained, Hammer signed with Suge Knight's Death Row Records by 1995.
Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business. As a result, he has created and produced his own acts including Oaktown's 3.5.7, Special Generation, Analise, DRS, B Angie B, and Wee Wee. A part of additional record labels, he has associated/collaborated/recorded with VMF, Tupac Shakur, Teddy Riley, Felton Pilate, Tha Dogg Pound, The Whole 9, The Hines Brother (Andra Hines & Dunkin Hines), Deion Sanders, Big Daddy Kane, BeBe & CeCe Winans and Jon Gibson. In 1992, Doug E. Fresh was signed to M.C. Hammer's Bust It Records label.
MC Hammer. (2017, March 21). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:18, March 25, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MC_Hammer&oldid=771385076
Photo Credit: Brian Solis - TechCrunch August Capital - MC Hammer, CC BY 2.0, Link
Last Edited by siremidor - 25-March-2017


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- Inspiration in the form of original and classic poetry, songs, essays, stories, and more
- Membership in an exceptional community of creators and Christians who believe in the power of imagination


text:
The downloadable PDF is 27.7 MB. We recommend a high speed connection to download.
Homeowners and buyers will be able to identify those cost effective energy conservation
measures that will benefit them the most in reducing energy consumption and increasing comfort in their
homes. Step by step instructions will aid the do-it-yourselfer in installing low cost no cost measures,
determine the appropriate insulation levels in attics, floors and walls, how and where to weatherstrip
and caulk air leakage points, selecting storm or replacement windows and efficient appliances.
Download the pdf on the left for more information about:


text:
breaking bad memes Archive
How I Feel Now That Breaking Bad Is OverPosted on October 2, 2013How I feel now that Breaking Bad is over…
Breaking Bad Finale – MemePosted on September 28, 2013Breaking Bad Finale – meme
You Are The Hottest Client I've Ever HadPosted on September 26, 2013You are the hottest client I've ever had. You might also like: The Many Faces of Heisenberg – 12 Pics
The Moral Of Breaking BadPosted on September 16, 2013The moral of Breaking Bad – Pay teachers more money
Meth DamonPosted on September 9, 2013Meth Damon the world's most awkward shooter
Walt Jr Breakfast – MemePosted on September 8, 2013Meme – Walt Jr just wants breakfast
Mr White Is SantaPosted on September 3, 2013Oh my God – Mr. White is Santa
I'm Not Watching Breaking Bad Tonight Because…Posted on August 12, 2013I'm not watching Breaking Bad tonight because I'm a real fan…
What's A Mob To A King?Posted on August 7, 2013Breaking Bad summed up in 3 lines – What's a mob to a king?
The 12 Best Breaking Bad MemesPosted on July 10, 2012In honor of the new season of Breaking Bad beginning July 17th here are the 12 best Breaking Bad memes


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Please excuse the terrible title puns!
I am a rather excited music bunny this week - obviously cos it's nearly easter and that means chocolate eggs (and I suppose the rebirth of Jesus if that floats your boat) but more importantly, there have been a load of awesome new music releases lately! The easter bunny has definitely brought generous portions of fat chocolatey bass for us all to gobble up. :D
Two labels in particular are definitely dishing out the dirt at the moment - in the best possible way of course! Here's my selection of favourites from Massive Music, a shiny new(ish) label set up by Schroff, a dancefloor-destroying dubstep and electrohouse artist.
Cameron aka Schroff
Latest favourite is his dubstep mix, packed full of choons that converted me to liking the genre! - tracks like his remix of EASTMANN - 'Spellcheck' prove that dubstep can be much more than just wobwobwobwob! (nothing wrong with wobs, I just like a bit of variation!) Intelligent, naughty and blended with wobbly electro, it's a perfect contrast with the next track, 'Burning up' (Torqux & Twist rmx). Deep, growling basslines are punctuated with groovy, twisty breakdowns reminiscent of a snakey Indian palace.
Massive Music-Schroff Dubstep Mix by Massive Music
so give this mix a listen even if dubstep isn't your usual thing - smart, filthy WOBZ ftw!
Talking of Eastmann (real name Nik Cedraeus), his new electrohouse/ techno project is definitely worth checking out. I tried to describe his style, then realised the description on his facebook page is unbeatable! -
'A fine, deep, full-flavoured blend of electro and techno. Sprinkled with a dose of crunch; sharpened by a spot of filth;sweetened with a touch of groove; blended with a twist of glitch. Refreshing yet deep. Slightly fruity but also nutty-packs a punch.Hints of leather and rich mahogany.Of mysterious European origin.'
heheh! nicely done Nik!
Here's one of his newest tracks, a teasing, punchy and slightly spooky techno sound:
Eastmann- Umbrellas and Olives- MASSIVE MUSIC MARCH 2011 by Massive Music
-Available on Beatport now!
The MaddoxX remix is wicked too - a deeper, more moody version.
Loads more awesome tracks to be found on Massive Music's soundcloud page! http://soundcloud.com/massivemusicuk/tracks?page=1
* * *
Here's a little bit of maths in between the music:
A monkey:
+ some logic:
The Monk3ylogic duo, Will Bolam and Mike Connell need little introduction as I'm sure most of you have already heard of them! I'm pretty sure they've already been mentioned on this blog. But I must give you all a heads up about a forthcoming release on Liquid Records very soon (ie in April!)
Here's preview of Bass Effex, the original groovy stomper:
Base Effex (Due April 2011) [Liquid Records] by Monk3ylogic
Loving the cheeky, wobbly and cheeky synthy sounds that characterise the monkey, and the clever clean breaksy sounds that add the logic!!
Psybreaks magician HEDFLUX has done a ridiculously good remix of it, which will be released on the same E.P (along with remixes from Eastmann and Mike Method. These rock as well!)
Monk3ylogic - Basseffex (Hedflux Remix) by Hedflux
Hedflux has chopped up the sounds a bit and added a scoop of extra whomp, a large helping of wobble, and a sprinkle of bouncy syncopation. Love it, cannot wait to play this on the huge speakers it deserves!
Anyway it's getting late and your eyes and ears are probably going funny by now (hopefully in a good way!)
so I will bid thee all a phatty fatty easter! (lots of chocolate and bass).
Oh and if you're looking for something to do tomorrow night, look no further than HALCYON at Proud2 - the superclub at the O2 centre (formerly Matter). ACE VENTURA and INFECTED MUSHROOM live; Tristan; Liquid Ross; Sofire etc etc :) and Billy Butlins and myself are warming up the prog room from 11pm!
You can buy tickets here http://accessallareas.org/
or email me.
Event link: http://www.psymusic.co.uk/forum/threads/apr-8-2011-halcyon-proud2-infected-mushroom-live-dj-tristan-ace-ventura-london-se10-0dx.63247/
mAYBEE see ya there on the dancefloor?!
Katty x
How to Start Your Own Band in a Few Easy Steps
11 months ago


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Affirmations is the community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and their allies. Open since 1989 and located in Detroit suburb of Ferndale, Affirmations provides a welcoming space where people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and cultures can find support and unconditional acceptance, and where they can learn, grow, socialize and have fun.
290 W. Nine Mile Road
Ferndale, MI 48220
Helpline: 1.800.398.GAYS | Business: 248.398.7105
Visit the Affirmations website.
Equality Michigan works to achieve full equality and respect for all people in Michigan regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. The number one priority is a full, non-discrimination policy by 2014.
19641 West Seven Mile Rd.
Detroit, MI 48219
Visit the Equality Michigan website.
A resource center that exists to build capacity for successful outcomes of educational, social and political initiatives by and for the Queer and Ally Community in the Washtenaw County area. WRAP welcomes all who support its mission to participate in its activities.
325 Braun Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48107-9751
734.995.9867 | Fax: 734.995.9915
Visit the Jim Toy Center website.
Youth run safe space for queer and queer friendly youth and youth activists.
Neutral Zone
310 E. Washington Street, Ann Arbor
Visit the RIOT Youth website.
Ypsilanti based program that provides a safe space for LGBTQ youth to congregate, socialize, build community and access support services as needed. Meets Fridays 6:30–8:30 p.m.
Ozone House Youth Drop In Center
102 N. Hamilton, Ypsilanti
Visit the Ozone House Youth Drop In Center site.
Individual and group counseling
Emergency services and crisis intervention
Consultation to faculty and staff
Workshops and educational presentations
Training and supervision to master's and doctoral student counselors
Free HIV Counseling and Testing Every Thursday ~ 1-4 p.m. in 330 Snow Health Center. Testing is free, anonymous and on a walk-in basis. Sponsored by University Health Services.
313 Snow Health Center
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
734.487.1118 | Fax: 734.481.0050
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Hours: 8 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Formerly AIDS Partnership Michigan and HIV/AIDS Resource Center, UNIFIED is a non-profit organization. It has three office locations: Detroit, Jackson and Ypsilanti. Free, anonymous, HIV testing is available at the Ypsilanti office by appointment on Tuesdays from 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Wednesdays from 5–8 p.m., and Saturdays: 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Hepatitis C testing available by appointment. Additional services include overdose prevention training, medical case management, syringe exchange/safety services, medication adherence counseling, individual and group counseling/therapy, medical transportation, housing assistance, a food pantry, health insurance enrollment assistance, and tobacco reduction services.
Ypsilanti Office
3075 Clark Road, Suite 203
Ypsilanti , MI 49201
734.572.9355 | Fax: 734.572.0554
Michigan HIV/STD Hotline (Hotline hours are from 10 a.m.– 6 p.m.) 800.872.2437
Corner Health Center is an affordable, LGBTQ+ affirmative, physical and mental health center for individuals ages 12–25. Physical health services include check-ups, immunizations, STI testing and treatment, birth control, pregnancy testing and care, and free condoms, as well as hormones and puberty blockers. Mental health services include individual counseling, including referrals for hormones and gender affirming surgery, group counseling, and psychiatry. On the third Monday of every month from 4–7 p.m. they host OUT for Health, which includes LGBTQ+ care and support, drop-in appointments and free activities including art classes, movie nights, cooking classes and more.
47 N. Huron Street
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197
734.484.3600 | Fax: 734.484.3100
Visit the Corner Health Center Website.
Ypsilanti, MI, USA 48197


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Ross David Marsh (Non-Executive Director) aged 48, Australian
Mr Marsh is a Chartered Accountant having graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Commerce. Mr Marsh has worked in chartered accounting, commercial banking and corporate finance, and as managing director of an international export consulting firm.
Mr Marsh has significant experience with initial public offerings and reverse takeover management particularly in London. This extends to public capital raisings and advisory services to London based companies. Mr Marsh has acted as both an executive and non-executive director for listed public companies and is currently managing director of a company specialising in managing AIM market listings.


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Hey guys,
How are my Akron I PROMISE Network students? Have you gotten the hang of your new routine? I have a new routine of my own, my teammates and I just started training camp.
I PROMISE TO TRY NEW THINGS. There was a day in my life when I tried something new and it changed my life. Any idea about what that something was? Basketball. Albeit a brief, there was a point in my life when I did not know the wonders of the game of basketball. Playing basketball changed my life forever, but if I never tried something new, I would never have found my love for the game. That is why trying new things is so important to me. Whether it is a new food for dinner, signing up to be a girl scout, or attending your school's band recital, I want you to try something new and PROMISE me you will always look to broaden your horizons.
This week, my challenege for you is to try atleast one brand new thing. Deal?
Okay, back to work for me… Have a great week!
Your friend,
Mr. LeBron


text:
The 2009 IT Salary Guide
The Robert Half Technology company recently published the 2009 IT Salary Guide, which estimates the average salary per title and which skills are in highest demand. Overall, the projections for 2009 are encouraging.
I always find it interesting to see which skills are in highest demand these days. Just think: 5-10 years ago, many of these now "in-demand" skills were unheard of. It's a good reminder how important it is for IT professionals to keep their skills up to date.
You can read the entire study here.>>


text:
Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Low Fat Dog
Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Low Fat is a low fat diet food specially designed for
dogs with pancreatic disorders, digestive
disorders, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Recommended for:
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)
Acute and chronic pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas)
Acute and chronic diarrhoea
Bacterial overgrowth
Lymphangiectasia (chronic protein loss disorder).
Not suitable for:
Royal Canin Intestinal Low Fat Diet is not suitable for pregnant or lactating bitches.
Key features:
The combination of highly digestible protein, rice, special dietary fibre and fish oil in Royal Canin
Gastro Intestinal Low Fat provides a balanced intestinal flora and optimal digestibility. A low fat diet
improves digestion problems in dogs, such as hyperlipidaemia and pancreatitis. The small amount of fibre in
Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Low Fat makes for easy digestion and proper absorption of nutrients. The
specific combination of synergistically acting antioxidants (Vit. C, vit. E, taurine and lutein) contributes
to the neutralisation of free radicals.
Rice, dehydrated poultry proteins, wheat, barley, hydrolysed animal proteins, beet pulp, yeast, animal
fats, minerals, fructooligosaccharides, psyllium husk and seeds, fish oil, hydrolysed yeast (source of
mannan-oligosaccharides), Tagetes (African) extract (source of lutein).
Pet food for Dogs
Dry food
Recommended for Dogs above 12 months


text:
Position: Scientific & Technical Advisor for Human Factors (FV-0101-H)
Duty location: Washington, DC
Salary range: $66,916.00 - $103,721.00; A fixed relocation payment will be paid.
At the H-band level, you will perform a mixture of routine and multiple and varying assignments and provide human factors and project management support to a team of program managers to assist in managing research projects and contracts under routine guidance from senior staff and periodic review from the first line manager.
For additional job requirements and application information, please visit:
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/462459200 - Current and former federal employees, Open: Saturday 1/14/2017 – Tuesday 1/31/2017
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/462459600 - U.S. citizens, Open: Saturday 1/14/2017 - Saturday 1/28/2017
Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Please also note that official transcripts are required unless you are currently or have previously served in a FV-101 series position.


text:
SAN MATEO (05/08/2000) - Digital exchanges are all about liquidity. With some goods it's tough to connect supply with demand. Whatever roadblocks exist between someone's supply and another's demand go to the heart of the digital exchange. Exchanges create efficient mechanisms for buyers to discover suppliers. The greater the efficiencies, the more liquid or dynamic goods become. This in turn means dynamic pricing, given the vagaries of demand at any given moment.
Digital exchanges have enormous potential to transform the global economy (notice the impact of stock exchanges). And digital exchanges also open up intriguing new business opportunities.
Barter is practically synonymous with small-scale transactions -- two chickens for your goat. Not a model that scales well, as BigVine.com CTO Louis Monier would say. Monier is a dot-com veteran: He was founder and chief technologist at AltaVista Co. Monier spoke with me about BigVine, a company hoping to organize bartering on a global scale. If bartering sounds a bit low-tech for a dot-com, remember that eBay generated a $20 billion market cap based on the same principle of organizing a fragmented market of pseudo-hobbyists.
BigVine.com allows individuals and businesses to barter goods and services, with BigVine acting as a directory of services as well as creating an online currency mechanism to facilitate the barter. However, Monier is quick to point out that BigVine is not trying to compete with the dollar -- by all means, try to sell your goods or services for cash. But rather than let surplus go to waste, it can be bartered. That part of the model sounds very similar to the Priceline.com model: getting a small slice of the economy as a whole. BigVine appeals most directly to notoriously cash-poor small businesses, but I wonder about the bigger possibilities. Large companies engage in barter all the time; they just don't call it that. If BigVine can organize informal business-to-business bartering, it could be a juggernaut.
Rightscenter.com hopes to transform the publishing world. Rightscenter is an exchange for publishing rights -- the legal rights to use published works -- which allows authors, agents, and publishers to come together and auction off the publishing rights to a variety of works. CEO Kip Parent -- a veteran of Silicon Graphics -- recently sketched out the Rightscenter vision to me.
Publishing rights is a relationship business: Agents talk to the people they know. With Rightscenter, that system of privacy and one-to-one negotiation is preserved, while granting access to the world market. In the near future, I expect publishing rights for digital assets to get quite complicated. (How about the rights to publish to the Internet for an hour?) Managing such complexity could be invaluable to the publishing world.
Yet2.com, Patent and License Exchange (pl-x.com), Patentauction.com, and the Intellectual Property Technology Exchange (techex.com) are all trying to facilitate the purchase and licensing of patents. It makes sense: Large companies such as IBM, DuPont, or 3M have vast resources devoted to research and development and file thousands of patents a year. But they can't always capitalize on their intellectual property. With exchanges, they can license or sell their intellectual property to companies that have a use for them. These exchanges essentially provide found money, creating revenue from assets that already exist. This model might prove crucial in the coming years. Patents are fast taking center stage in the world of Internet business. Odds are, your dot-com is violating somebody's patent. Whether you agree or disagree with some of the recently controversial business process patents, the patent office is not going away anytime soon. When I recently spoke with intellectual property attorney Stephen Kahn, of Weil, Gotshal, and Manges, he mentioned that standing patents are rarely voided. In other words, a lot of dot-coms might suddenly find themselves in need of a licensing agreement for patents.
The power of exchanges is deceptively simple: making assets liquid. But, given the inefficiencies in the real world, the potential of exchanges is enormous.
Send e-mail to email@example.com. Dugan is senior research editor at InfoWorld.


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Sometimes it's such a strange thought that the people in the history books really lived and experienced and died – that there's so much more depth to history than anything I've seen with my own eyes; so much more life than anything I've lived.
Suppose that Tegmark's Mathematical Universe Hypothesis is real.
What fraction of sentient species that try to follow the policy "Ban all physics experiments involving situations with a remote possibility of being novel, until you can augment your own intelligence enough to do error-free cognition";
And what fraction of sentient species that go ahead and do physics experiments;
Survive in the long term, on average?
It's of course politically infeasible to implement a "stop-all-novel-experiments"-policy.
425. Fake Norms, or "Truth" vs. Truth
There's a social norm in favor of "diversity", but not diversity. There's a social norm in favor of "free speech", but not pornography. There's a social norm in favor of "democracy", but it doesn't spontaneously occur to most people to suggest voting on their arguments. There's a social norm in favor of "love", but not for letting some damn idiot marry your daughter even if the two of them are stupid and besotted.
Our society values "truth" (truthiness) more than truth, i.e. correspondence between beliefs and reality.
426. When (Not) To Use Probabilities
…I generally advise against making up probabilities, unless it seems like you have some decent basis for them. This only fools you into believing that you are more Bayesian than you actually are.
I would advise, in most cases, against using non-numerical procedures to create what appear to be numerical probabilities. Numbers should come from numbers.
Great comment by Robin Hanson:
"I very much disagree with this quote, and much of the rest of the post. Most of our reasoning about social stuff does not start from concrete numbers, so this rule would forbid my giving numbers to most of what I reason about. I say go ahead and pick a number out of the air, but then be very willing to revise it upon the slightest evidence that it doesn't fit will with your other numbers. It is anchoring that is the biggest problem. Being forced to pick numbers can be a great and powerful discipline to help you find and eliminate errors in your reasoning."
I agree with Hanson. In fact, I think about posting my probability-estimates on a wide range of topics (like meta-ethics, theoretical physics, philosophy, etc.) in the following months.
Furthermore, you have to assign probabilities to moral theories in order to be able to use the Parliamentary-Model by Bostrom and Ord. And since I'm getting more and more confused about morality, rationality, ontology, physics, well, essentially everything, I have to use something like the Parliamentary-Model. (Moral) uncertainty is a pain in the ass but we have to deal with it somehow.


text: Wedding-Worthy Red Carpet Gowns\\nFrom Summer 2011\\nMiles of red carpet stretch between the Oscars in February and the Emmys in September—and this summer, A-listers lined the step-and-repeat wearing one of the season's top trends: brilliantly glamorous, wedding-worthy gowns. In anticipation of this year's award season, we took a look back at the celebrity looks that had the most bridal potential.\\nThe most obvious bridal equivalents on the summer red carpets were, of course, floor-length white gowns. One would be so lucky as to wear a Versace number down the aisle, like the design Uma Thurman wore at the Cannes Film Festival in May. She paired the feather-festooned gown with emerald cascade earrings and a matching bracelet, both by Chopard.\\nBlake Lively wears Chanel Couture at the *Green Lantern* premiere in Hollywood.\\nEvan Rachel Wood wears Alessandra Rich at the *Ides of March* premiere during the Venice International Film Festival.\\nRachel McAdams wears Louis Vuitton at the *Midnight in Paris* screening in New York.\\nThe increasingly popular black-and-white wedding palette is creeping its way into fashion, too. The color typically appears on sashes, as was the case with the Marchesa dress Lucy Liu wore to the *Kung Fu Panda 2* premiere in Hollywood, but we've also seen white gowns sporting black lace appliqués and black skirts.\\nGwen Stefani wears Armani Privé at the *This Must Be The Place* premiere during the Cannes Film Festival.\\nAngela Sarafyan wears BodyAmr at the *A Good Old Fashioned Orgy* premiere in Hollywood.\\nThere seems to be an endless spectrum of colors between white and champagne, with some wedding gowns leaning toward blush, and others toward cream. Rose Byrne proved that off-white was on-trend while wearing Ralph Lauren at the 13th Annual AmfAR Gala in New York.\\nAnaleigh Tipton wears J. Mendel at the *Crazy, Stupid, Love* premiere in New York.\\nDiane Kruger wears Elie Saab at the *Ides of March* premiere in Venice.\\nAnne Hathaway wears Alexander McQueen at the *One Day* premiere in London.\\nThe Duchess of Cambridge may not be a member of the Hollywood set (yet), but Kate still knows how to work a red carpet. She turned up to the Absolute Return for Kids Gala in London wearing a shimmering Jenny Packham gown. Although it's from Packham's Spring 2011 ready-to-wear collection, the delicacy of the beading and sequins could work just as well on a bride—as would any number of the festive, glittering dresses we've seen in the past few months.\\nMila Kunis wears Elie Saab at the *Friends With Benefits* premiere in Moscow.\\nVittoria Puccini wears Versace at the *Ides of March* premiere during the Venice International Film Festival.\\nRosie Huntington-Whiteley wears Naeem Khan at the *Transformers 3* premiere in Berlin.


text:
News: SHK Website Launch
Hello, welcome to the launch of Hentai Keeper. This site is gonna be full of Sonic pics and anims. We have everything like Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cosmo, Rouge, and more. This site is gonna be epic of epic awesomeness. So strap on and hang on to your seatbealts because this stuff will blow you away. Picture credits to Sonic Hentai


text:
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Dublin Peeple.
"I'll tell ya what you do. Don't pull her by the hair, hit her straight, right on the puss. That's what ya do. She'll be expectin' ya to pull her hair. Giv'er a smack on the nose, grab her down there and then ya bate her... but hopefully it won't come to that. So, any plans for the weekend?"
I'm very pleased with my city. The pleasure started at Bunny's Hutch - my new favourite place to go for the sights and sounds of cabaret - and continued to the nearest late night bar with a vase of peacock feathers (for I had the performative company of Lisa Donegal), where I spent too much money on Gin. No gluten for me no more, no siree, makes for expensive outings. Hiss! And so with gin flooding the gates of my personality, we stayed up too late squeeling over Beth Anderson and plotting the Beth Anderson experience and subsequently, the Beth Anderson cult following: "There was life before Beth Anderson and then, there is life after Beth Anderson... and what a life! What a world!". And after we did that we slept some, slanty ways and woke up to the shakes, not from Gin, but of the outside world and Board Gás being legally annoying at 8.30am.
On with the day and off to work with the bauld child Lisa (not bald... well, how would you spell that phonetic bold? First I wrote phrenetic... which is actually a word. I swear.).
First stop St. Vincent's near Mountjoy Square where I bought these for €1.
I should state at this point that when I'm hungover, I have much greater freedom in what I'd like to wear, and the habitually overwhelming neuosis of identity versus external expression via clothesz cease to bother me. And it just so happened that I was going fabric shopping with my friend and co-member of RAG magazine Angela who is making me a Nun costume (for my performance with the Pony Girls on the 8th of October in the Complex, oh yes).
If you are into dress making and don't already know about this place, or if you are into amazing buildings in your city that you don't already know about, then you should make a trip to T.W.I international on Mountjoy Square. Now, go! Angela was overwhelmed...
It was about time I actually spent some money in this place since I'd been there half a dozen times before trying to decide on a fabric for my Victorian Gentleman's suit. I found one! A gorgeous heavy (bad for spotlights, but good for Winter) daylight-grey wool. I say daylight-grey because you know those clouds that populate the Irish sky on most days? Yeah, pretty much that colour. It's Gawgeous and it will be mine:
(Tipping the Velvet fans PLEASE take a look at this blog)
Anyway, having stopped for some Chinese mange, I parted ways with my fabric fien-ed friend and pottered into Chapters to search out Angela Carter goodness, but ended up buying Germaine Greer's The Boy. Phew! What a collection of images! It was pricey, as Oort books tend to be, but the first page I opened to find a discussion of Narcissus and I was sold, or rather, the book was. It spurred me to seek out Ovid's original tale of Narcissus, which I found in - what the clerk told me was his most important book - Metamorphoses. I hadn't considered that the tale of Narcissus would be in print! It reads:
While he seeks to slake his thirst, another thirst springs up, and while he drinks he is smitten by the sight of the beautiful form he sees. He loves an insubstantial hope and thinks that substance which is only shadow... Unwittingly he desires himself; he praises and is himself what he praises; and while he seeks is sought; equally he kindles love and burns with love.
In the next episode of my life, I walk down Moore Street and fall in love...
She was playing the keyboard like a child. When I asked if I could take her picture, she fixed her hair and said "yes, you can do dis". Ping!
What happened after that? More suits...
And Dummies:
And then a quick visit to a new discovery of mine (yeah sometimes what ya don't see is right on yer front door step yadda yadda yadda) Sé Sí aka Lucy's. They take deposits... I'll be in there, a lot!
Maybe it was my hungover vibes, or styles, or maybe it was my decidedly 'day in town' attitudes, but many many strange and interesting people came into my life that day, the man quoted above, the beautiful pianist, the clerk with three fingers, the tuxedoed man gazing from his window and the woman who got away, for I didnea think to ask for a snap... but I do know she owns a shop on Dean Street and has no qualms about approaching a stranger in Spar and asking her to take off her jacket.
Funnily enough, I had noticed her on the way into the Spar. She was walking the other direction, saluted a slim girl on a squeaky bike and said in passing "...in a junkie's house". Just for the record she was talking to someone when she said that. Anyway, a slightly eccentric looking older woman wearing a wide brimmed hat saying "...in a junkie's house" is sure enough to get my attention. Next thing I know she's quizzing me about my jacket while I que to pay for eggs.
"Excuse me, where did you get that jacket?"
"Where do you live? Are you local?"
"Yep, just down the road"
"Where abouts exactly do you live"
"Really, just down the road from here"
"Would you mind taking off your jacket?"
"Uh, I'm actually in a hurry to get home..."
"It's just because I own a shop"
"Oh yeah?"
"It's called... Bohemia!" (long pause)
"On Dean Street"
I'm going there.
6 comments:
That keyboard lady is amazing!ReplyDelete
Hey Bollo, yes, yes she is amazing. She blew my mind. But Damo Susuki and the Jimmy Cake... now that blew my mind. I have mind on my shirt!ReplyDelete
Have we met? I like your blog... I see lots of things that I know also... like Junk Ensemble and other stuff. How did you end up in this joint?
hey im not sure if we have, but maybe we've been at the same things. cant remember how i found yr blog but i always love looking at it.ReplyDelete
i missed Damo in cork the other night, the jimmy cake with him must have been wow!
thanks for liking!
Nice to hear!ReplyDelete
It was UNREAL last night. Closest thing I've had to a trance experience since I was a teenager and would listen to dance music up loud in my headphones and smell the clothes I had on from at the local disco... Actually scrap that, the gig last night was much more intense. I mean it though, crazy experience. I've often joked about 'trance ins' but I wanna go to more repetition gigs, SERIOUSLY. Can I see a photo of you?
Man, I like your book list! You should write about them too though, at least I'd really like to hear what you have to say about them. It's annoying I can't comment on those subcategories you have on your page. Pretty cool though. Evelyn War is ACE. We should do a tape swap! And have chats. I see you are linked to Julia brainfog. You should come for dinner with us.ReplyDelete
Hey theres not many pics of me about, but im in 2 of the videos i posted. and theres one of me in AU magazine this month or so im told, havent seen it yet.ReplyDelete
yeah i should write or comment about the books, Julia's blog is great would be fun to meet up sometime : )
i need to work on some EW stuff soon as im totally late for a label : (
i should stop putting it off as its been half done for months now.
hope alls good