Neil Young- Don't Be Denied

Matt Kavanagh
Neil Young- Don’t Be Denied

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-972pm8AhQ

The song Don’t Be Denied by Neil Young was released on his 1973 live album Times Fade Away, which consisted of all new material. The album itself never made the transformation from vinyl to CD, so the only way to hear the album without an original record is to pirate it from the internet. Anyways, the album tour was a complete mess to say the least. Neil’s former Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten had recently died of heroine overdose and Neil toured with a backing band called The Stray Gators, of who received poor reviews from audiences. Also, Neil and his fellow musicians proved to be intoxicated at all times and Neil was said to be mentally unstable as the tour ended.
This is the recording from the album as it was released more the thirty years ago. In the song, Neil sings about his childhood, everything from his Dad leaving home, and him trying to make it as a musician. The chorus sings “Don’t be denied” over and over inspiring the listener to never give up, just as Neil had to do has he faced his share of hardships while growing up.
I think this is definitely a form of emotionalist art for Neil Young is clearly putting all he has into trying to sing in key, as he also was suffering with a throat infection. Full of voice cracks and the possibility of a complete breakdown at any moment, Neil Young and the Stray Gatos put on an intense performance. It may be stretching it but this may also be instrumental art for it may inspire people. Maybe not this song in particular but Neil Young certainly has some songs that I’ve gained a strong connection to so in general, Neil could be called a instrumental artist as well as an emotionalist.
The reason I choose to do a Neil Young song for a blog is because he is my favorite artist and I believe he is pure genius. The song Don’t Be Denied relates well to last years Concept of Self class when we were all asked to design a self -portrait of ourselves. This song tells the story of Neil Young growing up until he was about the age we were when we did those projects so in a way it’s his own self portrait, just through song.

Source
Mcdonough, Jimmy. Shakey Neil Young's Biography. New York: Anchor, 2003. Print.
"Don't Be Denied"

When I was a young boy,
My mama said to me
Your daddy's leavin' home today,
I think he's gone to stay.
We packed up all our bags
And drove out to Winnipeg.

When we got to Winnipeg
I checked in to school.
I wore white bucks on my feet,
When I learned the golden rule.
The punches came fast and hard
Lying on my back
in the school yard.

Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.

Well pretty soon I met a friend,
He played guitar.
We used to sit
on the steps at school
And dream of being stars.
We started a band,
We played all night.

Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.

Oh Canada
We played all night
I really hate to leave you now
But to stay just wouldn't be right.
Down in Hollywood
We played so good

The businessmen crowded around
They came to hear the golden sound
There we were on the Sunset Strip,
Playing our songs
for the highest bid.
We played all night
The price was right.

Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.
Don't be denied, don't be denied.

Well, all that glitters isn't gold
I know you've heard
that story told.
And I'm a pauper
in a naked disguise
A millionaire
through a business man's eyes.
Oh friend of mine
Don't be denied.

Is Bone Marrow Cure for HIV?

Everyone knows that that HIV/AIDS is big problem in most parts of the world. In Africa in particular it has reached epidemic proportions. For years researchers have been searching for a cure. In November of 2008 Dr. Gero Huetter, a German hematologist, reported that he had successfully treated a patient with the HIV virus in Berlin. The patient, who was a 42-year-old man who had AIDS for over 20 years, underwent a bone marrow transplant for Leukemia. Afterward he showed no signs of HIV. Dr. Huetter had intentionally used bone marrow containing a genetic mutation making the donor immune to the AIDS virus. The mutation prevents the CCR5 molecule from forming on cells. CCR5 is what allows HIV to enter cells. HIV must bond with CCR5 to infect the cells. The mutation is incredibly rare. Only 1% of people of European decent have the recessive mutation and people of Asian, African, and South American descent almost never inherit it. Bone marrow is where the immune system cells are made, which are the cells HIV target. Dr. Huetter’s theory was that if he could replace the HIV positive bone marrow with the mutated bone marrow, it would make the patient immune to HIV. Since the transplant, the virus has remained undetected in the patient for almost two years. Other researchers believe that its possible that the HIV could still be in the patient’s blood stream, but cannot start an infection because the target cells are immune. They call it a “functional cure”. The biggest problem with it is that this cure depends on a bone marrow transplant, which is very painful and dangerous. Such transplants kill about 30% of patients and are usually only given to those in the late stages of cancer. As a result, this cure will probably never be widely used.

Like many other scientific discoveries, this has been met with skepticism. Some scientists in the field are not convinced and want to se more tests done. There will probably be a lot of trial and error as scientists pursue this research. Relating back to what we have been discussing in class, almost all of Newton’s ideas were also initially met with skepticism. He was coming up with theories that were unheard of at the time, however he ended up changing the world of science. Maybe in the future Dr. Huetter’s discovery will have a great impact, just like Newton.

I think this discovery could have a huge impact on research in the future. Even though at this time it does not seem like a realistic cure fore every HIV patient, the doors have definitely been opened. Hopefully with the help of gene therapy this will become a more viable option.

I was drawn to this article because HIV/AIDS is a growing problem in the world. I think this discovery represents new hope for patients with the HIV virus. This may provide researchers with a new direction, and hopefully they can take the knowledge learned from this discovery and develop a cure that is not such a high risk.

Works Cited

Schoofs, Mark. "A Doctor, a Mutation and a Potential Cure for AIDS - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - The Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122602394113507555.html.

Photographic Memory in a Pill?

Smith, Dan. "Coming Soon: Photographic Memory in a Pill? | Popular Science." Popular Science | New Technology, Science News, The Future Now. 6 July 2009. Web. 09 Nov. 2009. .

A group of scientists from the Spanish University of Malaga believe that they have found the group of proteins that aid in the retention of visual memories. These proteins, called RGS-14, are created in the visual cortex of the brain. The scientists found that, in rats, the increased production of these proteins led to the retention of visual memory increasing from one hour to 2 months. They determined this by first removing the section of the brain thought to be responsible for photographic memory, the visual cortex, from a number of rats. They then extracted the RGS-14 proteins and injected them into rats whose brains had not been tampered with. They found that the rats that had had their visual cortex removed had virtually no visual memory, while that rats with the addition RGS-14 proteins had a photographic memory 1500 times better than they did naturally. “Memory extension only applies to memories made through the poorly-understood visual cortex of the brain” (Smith). They have determined that this protein may be able to be put into a pill and then ingested by humans, potentially increasing our photographic memory to the same extent of the rats.
I located this information originally through Yahoo! News, but traced it back to many scientific blogs, publications, and, originally, to Science magazine.
I was drawn to this discovery because, as a college student, I often wish that I had a better memory. I wasn’t looking for a scientific breakthrough for my blog, but when I saw this, it caught my eye and made me look further into the discovery. The thought of a pill increasing photographic memory both fascinates and horrifies me, and I felt as though I could use this idea as a springboard for an interesting class discussion.
The impact that this could have on our world is massive. For students in particular, there will be no need to cram for exams, and the information learned in class, visually, at least, would be retained much longer. This pill, however, could be deemed cheating by some institutions, and the integrity of its use in different circumstances would have to be debated.
The scientists are essentially claiming that they have found the protein that enables our brain to process and store visual memories, and if the amount of that protein is increased, retention of visual memories will follow suit. In order to validate this hypothesis, the scientists really did two experiments. The first was questioning the impact of the visual cortex on visual memory. The rats without the visual cortex proved that this part of the brain has a huge role in visual memory. They then used this information to find out what component of the visual cortex was responsible for photographic memory. Once they isolated RGS-14 and tested its effect in high quantities on memory in comparison to normal levels, they found that RGS-14 increased the retention of visual memories significantly.
The fact that this group of scientists used an experimental method and systematic elimination to obtain their results is one element that makes this discovery “scientific.” Another reason that this is “science,” is that it explored what was previously known about the brain, and used that knowledge to further our comprehension of ourselves in a logical, cohesive manner.
This connects to what we are learning in class on multiple levels. This discovery could be considered heretic or immoral according to many parties, but could ultimately lead to a standard of information that is widely accepted and put to use in the coming years. In addition, it connects to our study of the re-envisionaries in that these scientists used existing knowledge in new ways to develop a revolutionary finding.

Additional sources:
Gutiérrez, Antonia, Zafar U. Khan , Manuel F. López-Aranda, Juan F. López-Téllez, Mariam Masmudi-Martín, Irene Navarro-Lobato. "Role of Layer 6 of V2 Visual Cortex in Object-Recognition Memory." Science 3 July 2009: 87-89. Print.

Virtual Reality Helps Smokers Kick the Habit

http://news.discovery.com/tech/virtual-reality-smoking-addiction.html

http://www.sciencecodex.com/crushing_cigarettes_in_a_virtual_reality_environment_reduces_tobacco_addiction

A study published in CyberPsychology and Behavior has shown that virtual reality treatments in conjunction with other methods can help smokers quit. The study, conducted by researchers from Canada's GRAP Occupational Psychology Clinic and the University of Quebec, consisted of 91 smokers split into two groups. One group entered the virtual reality environment and chased down and crushed floating cigarettes, while the control group crushed floating balls. This particular treatment took place four times a week.

During a six month follow up after the research concluded about 20% of the control group reported having abstained from smoking during the past week, while 39% of the experimental group reported having abstained. Although the researchers weren't sure of the exact cause of the cigarette crushers' higher success rate, they did partially attribute it to helping motivate smokers to resist the urge. 23% of the experimental group reported having flashbacks of the crushing exercise during cravings, and said that this helped them to resist it. This is opposed to only 3% of the control group. However, the session was not always helpful. Some of the participants rationalized that they were capturing and storing the cigarettes during the exercise, instead of simply crushing them.

It is also important to note that participating in the cigarette crushing exercise increased retention rates. People in the experimental group, on average, stayed with the program for more than 8 weeks. People in the control group stuck it out for an average of less than 6 weeks.

I think that this is an extremely interesting study. I find it particularly interesting to see virtual reality, something typically associated with gaming or other less than productive activities, being applied in a new way that can actually help people with emotional disorders and addictions. There has also been use of virtual reality in recent years by the University of Southern California to try to help Iraq vets deal with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I think that this is a growing technology to be watched in upcoming years as it expands to be used in various areas of therapy.

Ashley Desjardins- Simple blood test spots early stages of Lung Cancer

Currently, in the United States over 150,000 people die of Lung Cancer. This makes it the cancer with the highest death rate, followed closely by colon, prostate, and breast cancer. The reason it is so dangerous is because before symptoms due to the tumor show up, such as coughing up blood, the cancer has spread. A recent scientific discovery has been made that would allow 99% of these cases to be detected and possibly treated to avoid the devastating results of this disease.
This innovation, called the LC Detect, was developed by Mark Semenuk, a researcher at Panacea Pharmaceuticals in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It consists of a simple blood test that measures levels of the protein human aspartyl beta-hydroxylase (HAAH).This is a protein that is visible in all patients with lung cancer but rarely in healthy patients. Scientists believe that HAAH has several properties that make it cancer causing. One is that it travels to the surface of a cell which makes it more susceptible to chemical signals that promote growth. Also, if it stays on the surface for too long then it can fail to mature properly and can become cancerous, as well as the levels in the blood getting too high. The high levels can be detected when certain antibodies are put into the blood that change color when they bind to the protein. Abnormal levels that would be picked up are anything more than 3 nanograms of HAAH per milliliter of blood.
While this test alone cannot determine the existence of cancer, when it is paired with chest x-rays, CT scans, and other imaging technologies the results are almost always definite, as to whether or not the person has cancer. This can then help the doctor decide if treatment is possible and if the disease is curable.
In one experiment, 303 people’s blood was tested, 160 of these people were known to have lung cancer at various stages. The test accurately diagnosed the existence of cancer in all of these patients, except for one.
In another study, 60 patients, 15 of whom had the earliest stage of lung cancer were tested. All 15 cases were detected, proving that this test can accurately detect the illness early on.
What attracted me to this was the fact that it is so deadly because there are no symptoms until it is too late. With this test people may have more of a chance of surviving and it could no longer be a death sentence because it could be detected early on.

Works Cited
Simple blood test spots early stage Lung Cancer. New Scientist, 18 Sept. 2007. Web. 7 Nov. 2009. .

Matt Eschbach - Antimatter

Antimatter consists of "negative" particles called positrons which directly oppose matter. If a particle and an anti-particle collide, they annihilate each other and leave behind a burst of energy. This does not violate the theory of matter and energy creation and destruction, rather the two particles become the energy from the collision. Thwe following is a quote by the Stanford online News Service: "The Big Bang, according to the most basic physical laws, created equal amounts of matter and antimatter. Whenever a particle of matter meets its antimatter twin, they annihilate each other, leaving behind only a burst of energy. The particles of energy -- photons -- zipping through the universe today are evidence that a lot of annihilations took place. However, the fact that we are here is proof that the annihilation was incomplete: There is one particle of matter for every billion photons. It's the cause of this one-in-a-billion imbalance that scientists are trying to understand." (Stanford News Service)

Antimatter is not just a theory: it has been artifically produced in science lab experiments! In 2008, physicist Hui Chen, who works at the Jupiter laser facility of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has discovered that shooting a laser through a piece of gold the size of a pin head produces over 10 billion positrons of antimatter! "'We’ve detected far more anti-matter than anyone else has ever measured in a laser experiment,' said Hui Chen, who led the experiment. 'We’ve demonstrated the creation of a significant number of positrons using a short-pulse laser.'” (Sciencedaily.com)

Discovering the secrets of antimatter is a huge step towards understanding our universe. If scientists can figure out why there is more matter in the universe than antimatter, they may be able to uncover new information about the origin of the Big Bang.

Sources

Calder, Neil. "Antimatter experiment hits a key milestone." 19 July, 2004. 8 Nov. 2009 <http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2004/luminosity-719.html>.



DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "Billions Of Particles Of Anti-matter Created In Laboratory." ScienceDaily 18 November 2008. 8 November 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/.

Photo from: http://science.howstuffworks.com/antimatter1.htm. Image was taken by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope.

Gila Monster Saliva: Medication and Weight Loss Drug?

Who would have imagined that this venomous lizard could actually provide humans with an essential ingredient that helps type 2 diabetics maintain healthy blood sugar levels and lose weight? And through proteins in its saliva, nonetheless.

The Gila monster is one of two venomous lizards in the world, located in the Southwest of the United States and in Mexico. Although posing little threat to humans due to its extremely sluggish movements, its venom (when released through its salivary glands through chewing) causes edema and a sudden drop in blood pressure.

“Over the past decade, researchers have isolated over a dozen proteins and individual toxins from the lizard’s saliva. One of these, exendin-4, was found to be almost 50 percent identical to a hormone found in the human digestive tract that boosts the production of insulin when blood sugar levels spike” (Servoss). “The endangered lizard's poison stimulates the body's production of insulin, a hormone that helps cells process blood sugar. It can prevent blood sugar levels from dipping perilously low, or stop it from spiking and causing damage to the liver, kidneys, eyes and limbs” (“A Hormone…”). While this medication described is based off of the saliva (because it was only 50 percent identical) and not directly taken from the venomous creature, the studies and findings of this particular protein (exendin-4) within the saliva was the main starting points in determining the correct medication. Byetta (the FDA approved medication) is a synthetic form of the said protein secreted from the Gila monsters teeth. This medication was FDA approved in 2005, when a three-year study on the synthetic version – renamed exenatide – “showed that it helped patients with type 2 diabetes maintain healthy blood sugar levels and lose weight” (Servoss). While insulin injections have proven to be effective for this disease, this new drug has provided people with a less stressful application piece, where the drug will remain in the body for a longer period of time, allowing the patient to not have to inject the drug quite so much and with much more ease. More recent studies have even been able to find that this drug is helping non-diabetic patients lose weight as well. With this new discovery, people have reported losing much more weight with this drug than with other weight loss supplements they’ve used.

While it was only a few years back that this drug Byetta was established, it was during the early 1990s at the Bronx Veterans Administration Medical Center in New York that endocrinologist John Eng discovered the active ingredient in Byetta, called exenatide, while studying a sample of Gila monster saliva (Hammons). Dr. Eng was known for testing animal subjects in hopes of identifies hormones that may have benefits to humans or to the advancement of science. When discovering this hormone that could potentially benefit diabetics and the input of drugs into their bodies, he intently studied this protein and went to the Veterans Administration (VA) for support. The VA, however, denied their support and did not patent his idea because “it did not address a veteran-specific ailment, such as spinal cord damage or some other combat injury” (“A Hormone…”). Knowing this, Eng had to work that much harder to get someone to patent and look upon his discovery in hopes of accomplishing something with this newly discovered protein.

Personally, I find this discovery and new drug so fascinating because of where it originated from. In some random way, scientists tested the saliva of a Gila monster (something I wonder how they ever came about) and ended up finding this useful protein. I think it is remarkable that it so closely resembles a human protein that helps with blood sugar levels. I was drawn to this article because of the fact that a venomous animal who is becoming endangered has something to provide humans with a disease as big as diabetes is really wonderful. The advancement with this discovery might then, in turn, cause scientists to research other animals and perhaps discover other things that will be greatly useful for diseases that humans are facing in our world today. But because of the growing endangerment of many animals (including the Gila monster), it might be extremely detrimental for humans. If we begin to lose certain animals, than we will ultimately be losing discoveries and medications scientists have found (like Byetta). We must somehow find a way to savor these animals, if you will, and protect them from becoming completely extinct.

Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States, and it has been increasingly raised as the obesity levels have skyrocketed. This drug will not only help these people by lowering and improving their blood sugar levels and weight, but it will allow for improvement on previous diabetes drugs (such as insulin injections), because it is an advancement on it. This discovery will greatly impact humans in the United States and around the rest of the world because with the decrease in diabetes and obesity, our society might become less economically unstable and start working towards bettering our society as a whole – physically, economically, and socially.

This discovery clearly demonstrates a scientific finding because of the use of experimentation of an animal’s proteins and salivary substances. As dictionary.com states, science is the “systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation” (“science”). Using this term, this discovery that Dr. John Eng found would absolutely be considered science because not only did it ultimately prove successful in helping people with a disease to live longer and healthier, but he identified the knowledge of a new protein through observation and experimentation of the saliva of a Gila monster.

As seen through the readings and discussions we have done in class, many of the scientists and researchers from past times have found new discoveries through intense experimentations and observations of several things. Many were also rejected by others (whether it be society, the church, or other scientists) and their research was often supported by few people. People like Paracelsus and Newton had research that wasn’t supported because it lacked information or went against what people thought. Just like these scientists, Dr. John Eng was rejected when he found his discovery because there wasn’t enough evidence and information to support and prove that his findings would come of anything.

Works Cited

“A Hormone That Treats Diabetes Better Than Any Other Medicine." Diabetes In Control. A free weekly diabetes newsletter for Medical Professionals. 18 Sept. 2007. Web. 4 Nov. 2009..

Hammons, Steve. "American Chronicle | New diabetes medicine from Gila monster saliva causes excitement ." American Chronicle . 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. .

"science." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 04 Nov. 2009. .

Servoss, Jeff. "Treating Disease With Nature’s Deadliest Toxins | Unusual Organisms | DISCOVER Magazine." Science and Technology News, Science Articles | Discover Magazine. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. .