A Long Day: A Bamfield Story

Anaghster here,

This is a story I wrote about Bamfield. Enjoy!

It was a Tuesday night as we walked into the building, warm air soothing our nerves as we hurried into the long hallway. It felt delightful transitioning out of the harsh, brisk night air into the relaxing, warm, atmosphere in the dorms. As I practically sprinted down the stairs and into another deep hallway, I bursted into the room, slugged my backpack on the ground, and leaped into the bottom bunk of the bunk bed. It came as a surprise when my dorm mates sprang into the room, a few seconds later. The rocky terrain and numerous exercises had taken a toll on by body and mind, and I was looking forward to taking a steamy shower to wash away all the numbness in my body. As I grabbed a towel, a change of clothes, and some body wash, my face felt like it would fall off my head when I noticed that the two showers were taken and there was a lineup of five people. Grouchily, I dawdled back to my dorm. I was instantly hit with a vibe of energy as I remembered that my friends and I had bought candy from a nearby convenience store. Life was good after all.

Cya!

Anaghster

Book Review: The Lost Hero

Anaghster here,

I am going to review a book I read recently titled 'The Lost Hero". I was an avid fan of the "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" series, so I brought this one from the library because it is a continuation of the series. Here comes the review:

Overall it was a good book. I liked the idea of three main characters and each chapter is from a different perspective. It was really creative what they did, and I overall enjoyed it very much. Also, I liked how the author, Rick Riordian, used emotion that the target audiencs, preteens and teens my age, would understand. That is something that you won't find in every book. Ever page is suspenseful, and you keep flipping the pages to find out what is next. I hope that this series continues for a long time to come.

- Peace,
Anaghster

Anaghster Vlogs: Ep 1: The Enbridge Fiasco

Anaghster here,

Here is my first vlog! Sorry for the inconsistency...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ysnQ3oZII

Enjoy!!

Genetics: Gene That Causes Skin Disease Discovered?

Anaghster here,

What I am about to post below is a project that I need to post on this blog for humanities. Hope you find this interesting. Enjoy!

Genetics is like science’s new child, It is a very new science and is developing at an extremely fast pace. Genetics is a field of study based of our genes and chromosomes. As said earlier, this is a new field and we have yet to discover so much more about it.

Genetics has helped discover treatments and clues with many terminal diseases, and so I wasn’t surprised when I found an article that states that scientists have now discovered the gene that causes skin disease. “Dundee University uncover gene behind skin disease” is the aptly named title of the article I read. It states that researchers in Dundee University have discovered and figured out how the p34 gene has played a key role in the creation of the disease “PPK” in the human body. 

The research team that had made the amazing discovery was lead by a professor of human genetics, Professor Irwin Maclean. He states “not only have we found this gene but we have (also) been able to figure out how it works, which is very important”. This important discovery will play a major hand in making easier diagnostics for skin disease and will be very helpful to develop new treatment methods for it. 

To start off, I will first give you an idea of what skin disease is and what it does. Punctuate-type palmoplanter keratoderma, a type of palmoplanter keratoderma, is a kind of skin disease. The word "palmoplantar" means having to do with the soles of both your hands and feet, and "keratoderma" means bumps on your skin. So this disease literally means: bumps on your hands and feet. This disease causes “tiny bumps of thickened skin on the palms and soles”, as said on New Zealand Dermatology Society website http://www.dermnetnz.org. There are three forms of punctuate-type palmoplanter keratoderma (Also known as PPK), the first being punctuate PPK, the second being filiform PPK, and the last being marginal PPK. Each is different, either in the way they look or where they grow. This disease occurs during late childhood or early adulthood. Though not many treatment options for PPK are long term, there are ways to make the hardened skin softer and make the bumps less noticeable by using emollients, topical retinoids, and others.

The gene functions just like a normal gene, but when this gene is disrupted the skin on the soles of your hands and feet will grow to fast, causing painful bumps to appear. However, if the gene functions normally, then there is absolutely no problem in your skin. Currently, scientists see this as a target for future drugs that can prevent this horrible disease, although the article states that a little more research needs to be done in order to do so. 

All this problem comes from one small gene, which is hidden among the billions of genes found in just one cell. A gene is a double helix strand that is made up of many nucleotide base pairs and different proteins. Genes make up chromosomes, which are found in the nucleus of a cell, and so on. When the gene that is the focus of the article, the p34 gene, gets disrupted, it causes skin cells to grow rapidly fast. I assume that this disease has something to do with the controlling of skin cell growth, and when the gene is disrupted the skin cells develop at an astonishing rate. The cell’s nucleus is getting different information than before, and that will probably change the way that the skin cell splits. For example, a cell may undergo mitosis twice or thrice as much as usual. 

ANAGH KATYAYAN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Palmoplantar Keratodermas (PPK) Fact Sheet." FIRST - Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.firstskinfoundation.org/content.cfm/Ichthyosis/Palmoplantar-Keratodermas-PPK-Fact-Sheet/page_id/903>.

"Punctate-type palmoplantar keratoderma. DermNet NZ." DermNet NZ. Facts about skin from New Zealand Dermatological Society.. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dermnetnz.org/scaly/punctate-keratoderma.html>.

"Palmoplantar keratoderma. DermNet NZ." DermNet NZ. Facts about skin from New Zealand Dermatological Society.. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.dermnetnz.org/scaly/palmoplantar-keratoderma.html>.

"Heredity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heredity>.

The Genetic Basics: What Are Genes and What Do They Do? - A Revolution in Progress: Human Genetics and Medical Research. (n.d.). Office of History, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://history.nih.gov/exhibits/genetics/sect

Health News - Rare skin disease gene discovered. (n.d.). Health News . Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://www.healthcanal.com/skin-hair-nails/33057-Rare-skin-disease-gene-discovered.html

Peace Out,
Anaghster

My Rant on Violence

Anaghster here,

Haven't uploaded anything in a while. This feels kind of nice.

Earlier today I was on the internet wanting to buy the new deadmau5 album, "Album Title Goes Here". I later found myself watching one of his music videos, "The Veldt". I read the comments and found out that the song was based off a short story. So guess who did his research? That's right, it was yours truly, the great Anagh. I went online and found the short story , the link is as follows:

The Veld Full Story

Or, if you're a lazy person and hate reading, I found you a plot summary:

The Veldt Summary

NOTE: READ THE STORY BEFORE YOU CONTINUE.

I thought that the story was pretty creepy, and I found out what the meaning of this story may be. I believe that this story is warning us that not everything is perfect, and you can have too much of almost anything. I also believe that I know how this may apply to everyday life. I think that this story applies to young children and violence as well. I know that my little brother is one of these people, he is one of many victims to this. In fact, as I am writing this, he is in the basement playing Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which is a third person puzzle shooter. He is nine. Funny thing actually, I kinda let him play. But besides that, I think that this is becoming more dominant in our society, and this story is a good example of that. I believe that this is an extreme example which I believe we are heading towards unless we take proactive measures to ensure that our next generation is not a bunch of violent maniacs.

Ever since my brother has been playing these games, I have seen a drastic change in language that he uses, attitude towards others, and most importantly, attitude towards me. I think that this a good sign that no matter what happens, we cannot lose the next generation (why am I saying 'next generation'? I am the next generation!) to technology and to violent movies and video games. And unfortunately, these things are being accepted into society. For example, when I went to see "The Avengers" with a few buddies over the summer, I noticed that there were a lot of toddlers and small children in the theatre. Now, after reading this story, I remember how violent the film was and now I have a headache and I feel bad. I remember when I was nine: I was playing pokemon, trading pokemon cards, and online strategy flash games all day. I can't believe that society has come to this in a time of 4 years. 4.

I have a message for kids out there who play violent games, watch violent movies, and think it is okay, and it is this: It is not okay. Stop doing this before you start doing violent things. You probably don't think that now, but in that nursery in the back of your mind, your little girl and boy run free, with nothing stopping them.

Whoa! I scared myself there. That was pretty scary. Heh.
But I want everyone to know of this problem in society. Pass this story on, and one person at a time, our world will change.

Take care of yourselves,
Anaghster.