Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Todd Morgan Memorial Scholarship Recipients

Rachel Keynton, Andrew Newcomb and Isabel Moss

Thanks again to all of you who donated to the scholarship! The kids camp at Community Music School of Santa Cruz just finished and this photo shows the three that received the scholarship. 

Thanks for your contribution to music education and your dedication to Todd's memory.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Sunday, August 12, 2012

SOS Needle Exchange Benefit Party w/ Tetherhorse, The Backup Razor, Shiny Mountains, & The Redlight District @ The Church House Saturday 8/18/12

Saturday 8/18/12

Tetherhorse
Indie, Folk, Rock, Acoustic, Pop
Santa Cruz

The Backup Razor
Punk Rock
Santa Cruz

Shiny Mountains
Indie, Garage, Rock
Santa Cruz

The Redlight District
Psychedelic Rock and Roll
Santa Cruz

RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Hey boys and girls, it's time for you all to squeeze your feet into your party shoes like a pair of baby kangaroos groping their way into a mothers pouch and skip on down to ye ol' church house. We, the denizens of this fine and wondrous establishment have decided it is time, HIGH TIME!!! for us to throw another rip roaring fiesta extravaganza. This time, however, you'll all be running wild and insane through our halls like a pack of wild boars whilst simultaneously supporting a good cause! Needle exchange! Yay! Fun Fun Fun!

Our Narcan/Naloxone program:
We do overdose prevention trainings for drug users, their families and friends. We teach people how to recognize and respond to an opiate overdose situation. We teach them about rescue breathing and Narcan (also called naloxone). We distribute take-home overdose rescue kits that contain injectible Narcan – a drug that, if used quickly enough, can reverse an opiate overdose and save a life. It has been used by paramedics and emergency rooms for over thirty years. Our Narcan is prescribed by Dr. Bill Morris (of the Janus Clinic). The intent is to have the Narcan immediately available in an overdose situation, to be administered by a trained friend or family member."

Each rescue kit costs about $30 - pretty cheap to save a life, but we're low on cash.

ShootClean.org's OD Prevention page

Our SOS Narcan flier

What is Needle Exchange? Glad you asked! SOS needle Exchange is an organization dedicated to helping prevent the spread of transmittable viral infections contracted through intravenous drug usage. Confused? Read this!

http://www.shootclean.org

So come one, come, all, to our Benefit party! Entrance fee is $6, which goes 100% to doing good things. You don't like Hep C do you? Then come to our party! This $6 buys you $6 in beer tokens which you can spend at your leisure! In our backyard.

Kegs include:
PBR
Penthouse Ale by Squabble Hollow Brewery (5%)- A hoppy California Pale Ale
Siamese Twin Ale by Uncommon Brewers (8.5%) - An organic double Belgian Ale


Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction

Wednesday, 15 August 2012
In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proven that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief.

The team from the University of Adelaide and University of Colorado has discovered the key mechanism in the body's immune system that amplifies addiction to opioid drugs.

Laboratory studies have shown that the drug (+)-naloxone will selectively block the immune-addiction response.

The results - which could eventually lead to new co-formulated drugs that assist patients with severe pain, as well as helping heroin users to kick the habit - will be published tomorrow in the Journal of Neuroscience.

"Our studies have shown conclusively that we can block addiction via the immune system of the brain, without targeting the brain's wiring," says the lead author of the study, Dr Mark Hutchinson, ARC Research Fellow in the University of Adelaide's School of Medical Sciences.

"Both the central nervous system and the immune system play important roles in creating addiction, but our studies have shown we only need to block the immune response in the brain to prevent cravings for opioid drugs."

The team has focused its research efforts on the immune receptor known as Toll-Like receptor 4 (TLR4).

"Opioid drugs such as morphine and heroin bind to TLR4 in a similar way to the normal immune response to bacteria. The problem is that TLR4 then acts as an amplifier for addiction," Dr Hutchinson says.

"The drug (+)-naloxone automatically shuts down the addiction. It shuts down the need to take opioids, it cuts out behaviours associated with addiction, and the neurochemistry in the brain changes - dopamine, which is the chemical important for providing that sense of 'reward' from the drug, is no longer produced."

Senior author Professor Linda Watkins, from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder, says: "This work fundamentally changes what we understand about opioids, reward and addiction. We've suspected for some years that TLR4 may be the key to blocking opioid addiction, but now we have the proof.

"The drug that we've used to block addiction, (+)-naloxone, is a non-opioid mirror image drug that was created by Dr Kenner Rice in the 1970s. We believe this will prove extremely useful as a co-formulated drug with morphine, so that patients who require relief for severe pain will not become addicted but still receive pain relief . This has the potential to lead to major advances in patient and palliative care," Professor Watkins says.

The researchers say clinical trials may be possible within the next 18 months.

This study has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the United States and the Australian Research Council (ARC).

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news55261.html

Sunday, August 5, 2012

*SLEEP CRIME VIGIL* Tuesday August 7th 6pm - Wednesday August 8th 9am @ Courthouse Steps on Water St. Santa Cruz

SLEEP CRIME VIGIL

Tuesday August 7th 6pm - Wednesday August 8th 9am
Courthouse Steps on Water St. Santa Cruz.
Protest the incarceration of respected Santa Cruz attorney
ED FREY
Ed Frey has been challenging laws criminalizing the basic human right of SLEEP.
He has been facing 6 months in JAIL and has now been sentenced. 
He will be submitting to the Sheriff's Dept. on Wednesday morning. 
We are gathering to show our solidarity and to protest this compassionless law.

SLEEP CRIME: CA PEN CODE 647E - 6 MONTHS IN JAIL.

RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Culo A Boca, Burning Monk, & Thrash Compacter @ The Blue Lagoon Friday 9/28/12

Friday 9/28/12

Culo A Boca
Horor Punk Rock n Roll
Sunnyvale, San Francsico, Santa Cruz

Burning Monk
Punk, Hardcore, Stoner Metal
Oakland

Thrash Punk
Santa Cruz

923 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Phalgeron, Eviscerate, Fiends At Feast, & Parasitic Ejaculation @ The Blue Lagoon Monday 9/17/12

Monday 9/17/12

Phalgeron
Epic Brutal Black Metal
Seattle, Washington

Eviscerate
Death Metal
Santa Cruz
Blackened Death Metal
Santa Cruz

Brutal Death Slam
Santa Cruz

923 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Drakes Hotel, Little Ghost, DJ Tom LG, & DJ Tripp @ The Blue Lagoon Friday 8/17/12


Friday 8/17/12

Drakes Hotel
Post-Punk , Alt. Rock , shoegaze , new wave revival
Midwest USA

Little Ghost
Post Punk / Post Wave / Post Rock
Santa Cruz

DJ Tom LG
Mash-Ups, Top 40, 80's
Santa Cruz

DJ Tripp
Mash-Ups, Top 40, 80's
Santa Cruz

923 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Stash Brownstone, Hello Echo, & Peter Cardilla @ The Blue Lagoon Wednesday 8/29/12

Wednesday 8/29/12

Stash Brownstone
Folk / Rock
Santa Cruz

Hello Echo
Indie Rock
Santa Monica, CA

Peter Cardilla
Acoustic / Alternative / Americana
Capitola

923 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Liftoff, LA Velvet, The Cliches, & Noct Tide @ The Blue Lagoon Monday 8/20/12

Monday 8/20/12

Liftoff
Indie Rock
Vancouver

LA Velvet
Rock
Los Angeles

Rock and Roll from your shitty garage
Santa Cruz

Noct Tide
Rock
Santa Cruz

923 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Battalion Of Saints, 13 Scars, Heavy Hand, & HowDareYou @ The Blue Lagoon Friday 8/24/12

Friday 8/24/12

Battalion Of Saints
Punk / Hardcore
San Diego

The Battalion of Saints is a legendary punk band formed in 1980 out of San Diego, Ca. Their deep impression left on music scene is still influencial, and regarded as one of the original icons and pioneers of hardcore punk. After several line up changes, due to the tragic deaths of various members throughout the years, front man and mainstay George Anthony reformed Batts with members of several other bands. Their brutal sound and talented line up continues to stay true to their hardcore punk roots and sound,  with fast and furious tracks that bring the adrenaline and raw power out of the volatile combination.

13 Scars
Punk Rock
Tacoma, Washington

Heavy Hand

HowDareYou
Power Violence
Santa Cruz

923 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Name, How Dare You, North, & Downstaaiirs @ The Blue Lagoon Wednesday 8/8/12


Wednesday 8/8/12

Metal / Space / Gloom
Tuscon

HowDareYou
Power Violence
Santa Cruz

Name
Experimental / Metal / Other
San Francisco

Downstaaiirs
38
Bay Area

923 Pacific Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060