Dwanagandy6's blog

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHB45Y14cInmL7iGGF1SwAquwRiog&url=http://www.daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=486525

Feb 7, 2012 10:17:17 PM

02/06/2012

Kankakee: New sleep clinic opens doors - Kankakee Daily Journal

Riverside Medical Center will open the doors of its new Sleep Disorder Institute today in Bourbonnais. The new facility will treat sleep disorders ranging from sleep apnea and narcolepsy to restless leg syndrome and insomnia.

The Sleep Institute, located at 400 Riverside Drive, Suite 1500, serves as an expansion of Riverside's sleep lab located in Kankakee. Construction on the 4,000-square-foot lab began in June 2011 to address a high occurrence of sleep-related disorders appearing in the area, coupled with a lack of rooms at the Kankakee-based sleep lab located on the Riverside campus.

Institute Director Justin Caldwell said there has been a recent hike in sleep disorders in the area due to increasing rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.... For the unabridged version of this story, subscribe to The Daily Journal's print edition or E-edition.

Print this story

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGdm19yWmkpnI7zvpqtCeg23wW-8Q&url=http://gawker.com/5882424/sleep-like-a-homeless-person-from-the-comfort-of-your-home

Feb 6, 2012 2:17:13 PM

02/05/2012

Sleep Like a Homeless Person From the Comfort of Your Home - Gawker

Sleep Like a Homeless Person From the Comfort of Your Home
Be honest: after a long day of work and play, you'd like nothing more than to curl up underneath some cardboard boxes. But who can stay warm under cardboard? And how can you make your homeless style chic?

Dutch company Snurk has the solution ? they've produced a duvet cover that resembles cardboard boxes. And the selling point? It "lets you sleep under a cardboard box so a homeless person doesn't have to." Of course, only a portion of the proceeds go to a homeless charity Big Issue, so you could just donate your $90 directly.

This whole thing is gross: the glorification of being forced to sleep under a box, the self-satisfaction of the product description, the need to display your charitable nature to house guests. And rest assured ? unlike real cardboard boxes, the Snurk duvet cover can withstand a good cleaning. After all, you don't want to smell homeless.

This high quality duvet cover features a photographic print of a cardboard box. This produces an extremely sharp image that stays flexible because the ink is printed directly in the cotton. The image will stay crisp after frequent washing.

I'm not the only one raising an eyebrow. UPI has the story of negative reactions from Swedish homeless advocates.

Advocate Yvonne Borg said she couldn't see how sleeping under what appears to be cardboard would be "particularly pleasant" and said she saw the marketing as exploiting homeless people.

This should go without saying. And yet, Snurk and its retailers are standing by it. The Aftonbladet newspaper spoke with a spokesman for Swedish department store Nordiska Kompaniet. He maintained there was nothing questionable about the snazzy Snurk design.

Department store spokesman Jorgen Eriksson told the paper exploitation "is not the purpose" of the marketing.

"One buys it to show awareness," he said.

Oh, sure. There's no better way to show that you care than by snuggling up with a blanket that looks like what the homeless people outside are shivering to death under. Do note that pillowcases are sold separately. But maybe hold out on those ? with any luck, Snurk will design some with grisly images of animal slaughter to raise awareness of factory farming. Sleep tight.

[Image via Shutterstock]

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEulnj6_ZlOl6Y7L9f4H-ssdKl37w&url=http://www.thereporter.com/features/ci_19898209

Feb 5, 2012 10:17:14 PM

Son won't go to sleep before midnight - TheReporter.com

Dear Straight Talk: I have an ordinary question compared to the topics you cover. How do you get a teenager (age 16) to go to sleep before midnight -- so that he wakes up in the morning acting like a human being? (I'm afraid I can't stay up late enough to monitor him once he heads to his bedroom.) He averages six hours of sleep a night and I'm quite sure he relies on coffee to stay awake during morning classes. Other than this he is a good and socially-involved kid. But I know he needs more than six hours of sleep! How do I make him get it?

-- Diane, Redding

Katelyn, 17, Huntington Beach: Teens need a minimum of eight hours sleep. My family sets bedtime around 9 and we get up around 7. If we have to stay up later, we compensate on weekends. Set a curfew. No electronics after a certain hour, lights out an hour later. Set a deadline on caffeinated or sugary foods, substituting things like warm milk.

Gregg, 20, Los Angeles: It's amazing in retrospect, but my mom got us in bed by 7 p.m. in grade school. The sleeping pattern she instilled gave my body the wisdom of sleep. I almost always wake up easily and have high energy throughout the day. This is rare among my friends. Most are so trapped in the late-night cycle that when they do go to bed earlier, they can't fall asleep.

Nicole, 22, Grass Valley: As a child, bedtime was between 6 and 7 p.m. and I got 12 hours of sleep every night. Now, as an adult, I usually get seven

hours. I don't sleep more on weekends, and firmly disagree with midday napping which throws off my natural cycle. Your son is too old to try and organize his sleep cycles.

Sarah, 19, Redding: By adolescence, sleep should become a personal responsibility. But unless you physically remove his distractions, his behavior probably won't change. It was lights-off by 9 when I was younger, but I would lie awake for hours. I still have problems falling asleep.

Christina, 19, Marysville: Lights-out was 10 on high school nights, but I often stayed up until midnight anyway. Since college, I'm lucky to get in bed by 2 a.m. It has affected me lately, but staying up till midnight my junior and senior years didn't do much damage. I've never needed caffeine.

Nate, 17, Toledo, Ohio: Each person is different. I sleep about seven hours a night and it works out well.

Taylor, 14, Santa Rosa: My mom trusts me to do what is right for me. I mostly go to bed around 10 because I know how I feel the next morning if I don't. But high school starts too early -- 7:35 a.m.! My parents agree that this makes getting a full night's sleep unrealistic. Since you're not worried about other aspects of your son's life, I wouldn't worry about sleep too much -- and I'm pretty sure most American teens rely on coffee in the morning!

Dear Diane: Don't listen to some of the panelists! Your son is clearly sleep-deprived and I would worry. Sleep-deprivation is as common as poor health --and the dots connect in serious ways: diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's, and more. Teens actually require nine hours of sleep a night. Getting that will take one thing: long-term monitoring and enforcement by you. (Sorry for the bad news.) On school nights, cut off all screen time an hour before bedtime (including cell phone). The blue light inhibits melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone. He won't take this lying down, so make compliance conditional on his having a computer, phone and TV. Show him this column and tell him you'll settle for eight hours.

-- Lauren

Readers: Straight Talk is a non-profit organization. If every reader sends us $5 we can make our 2012 operating budget. Your involvement is needed! Please make your tax-deductible donation today. -- Love and thanks, Lauren

- - -

For more discussion, to ask a question, or inquire about being a youth panelist, visit http://straighttalkTNT.com/ or write POB 963 Fair Oaks, CA 95628.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFIfC219sK3XYzApoRl137eMJ5MRw&url=http://mobile.dcist.com/2012/02/one_sleep_striker_down_other_is_mai.php

Feb 5, 2012 6:17:13 AM

02/04/2012

One Sleep Striker Down, Other Is Mainlining Coffee - DCist.com

02.03.2012_sleepstrike.jpg
Lehner, in his 99th hour without sleep, is staying awake with cigarettes and coffee.

Earlier this week I met with Ricky Lehner and Thomas Reges, two members of Occupy D.C. who?in protest of the National Park Service's decision to begin enforcing its ban on camping in McPherson Square?decided they would forgo sleep, for as long as physically possible, to make the point that slumbering is a critical and expressive part of the income-inequality movement.

At 54 hours in, they were weary, but alert, propelled by constant snacking and trips to the coffee shop every few hours. Still, a medical expert briefed on Lehner and Reges' endeavor was not encouraging.

"Distinctly unhealthy," is what Dr. Helene Emsellem, a neurologist in Chevy Chase, Md. who specializes in sleep disorders, called the "sleep strike." By forcing themselves to remain awake, the demonstrators were putting themselves at great risk for some pretty nasty effects. Any underlying possibilities for maladies including heart disease, bipolar disorder or manic-depressiveness, Emsellem said, could be?forgive the usage?awakened by such a long period without rest.

Picking up on Emsellem's warnings, The Atlantic Wire contacted Lehner and asked him to complete unscientific Internet quizzes that tested risk factors for various mental disorders. Lehner showed no signs of schizophrenia or anxiety, but he did turn up a slight bit of bipolar disorder. Again, these were not scientific inquiries.

I decided to check back up on the sleep strikers earlier this afternoon. Lehner was sitting outside the Starbucks at 15th and K streets NW across from McPherson Square with Sam Jewler, the one-time hunger-striker who last year fasted for 11 days as a protest for D.C. statehood. Reges was nowhere to be found. He dozed off in a McPherson Square tent some time this morning, Lehner told me. A few other members of Occupy D.C. stayed up all night with them as a solidarity measure, but it's really Lehner who's carrying the torch for the sleeplessness right now.

Honestly, I did not expect him to be as lucid and talkative as he was. I approached Lehner's table expecting to see someone more twitchy than he was the other day, maybe even a bit feral after more than four days without any shuteye. He was a little surprised, too.

"I was looking forward to hallucinating," he said. There have been some noticeable effects, though. He mentioned feeling light-headed at times; his vision is also a bit more blurred than it was the other day. Lehner said he could see me clearly about two feet in front of him, but that it's been difficult to read the text on his cellphone.

He nearly succumbed to his sopor last night at a meeting of anti-Wal-mart protesters. Apparently, discussions of tactics to deploy agains the world's largest retailer are droll enough to put even the most visceral activist to sleep. Lehner, with bags under his eyes, also needed a minute to remember that he had also attended a legal session last night for the people arrested after Occupy D.C. raised a wooden barn one day in December.

Though his compatriot is down for the sheep-count, Lehner is keeping himself awake with a a constant flow of coffee, usually purchased from either Starbucks or the Cosi across the street. Gulping a 16-ounce grande drip, Lehner said he's been averaging six or seven brews a day?more than three quarts of the black stuff. And it's pretty much all been from Starbucks, the Cosi across the street or the McDonald's at New York Avenue and 13th Street NW. No, the local economy is not really involved in keeping this portion of the anti-corporatist Occupy Wall Street movement alert.

Drawing from his other stimulant?a teal pack of American Spirit cigarettes?Lehner said he's not planning on hitting the hay like Reges was forced to do. The record for going without sleep is 11 days, a mark set in 1964 by a California teenager under medical supervision. Lehner is doing this on the street and under tarps. Is he turning into the Adrian Parsons of the REM state? Parsons, who starved himself for 25 days, just got tired and emaciated. Lehner's putting himself at risk of losing his mind, I reminded him. Just how much longer can he go?

"I'm planning on watching the Super Bowl," he said.

That's two more days away.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@dcist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Filed in News and tagged bipolar disorder, cigarettes, coffee, occupy d.c., ricky lehner, sleep strike, thomas reges

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEpRWxNE9cztEqC8dQvYU1pfIO51A&url=http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/MGUCS/31013

Feb 4, 2012 2:17:11 PM

02/03/2012

Sleep Troubles May Up Prostate Cancer Risk - MedPage Today

31013

By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Published: February 03, 2012

Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.

Action Points

This study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
This study found that severe sleep problems suggestive of insomnia are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer among older men.
Note that the study did not address whether treating these men's sleep problems would reduce their prostate cancer risk.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Severe sleep problems suggestive of insomnia are linked to prostate cancer risk among older men, researchers found.

Men with the most trouble sleeping were twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as those without any sleep disruptions, Lara G. Sigurdardottir, MD, of the University of Reykjavik, Iceland, and colleagues reported.

The risk of advanced prostate cancer was two- to threefold higher with severe or very severe sleep problems in the prospective cohort study presented here at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.

While these observational results couldn't address whether treating these men's sleep problems would reduce their prostate cancer risk, other findings suggest it might help, Sigurdardottir noted.

In one of the few prior studies looking at the impact of sleep disruption on prostate cancer risk, working the night shift was shown to have a bigger impact on prostate cancer risk the longer one kept that schedule, she pointed out.

So the implication is that "if you have a sleep problem for only a short period, like a couple of months, it's not going to affect your risk, but if you have it for 10 or 20 years, it's probably going to impact your risk," she told MedPage Today.

Sleep-disruptive shift work has been shown to suppress the immune system, and exposure to light at night inhibits melatonin production, based on other studies.

Both immune suppression and melatonin disruption have been hypothesized to promote cancer growth, the researchers noted.

However, reverse causation is just as likely if not a better explanation for the link, cautioned Adam Kibel, MD, chief of urology at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and chair of the conference steering committee.

"It could be that prostate cancer increases your risk of waking up at night," he told MedPage Today. "It could be their prostate is a little larger because they have cancer; therefore, they're having more trouble going to the bathroom."

While insomnia warrants treatment regardless, men who have trouble sleeping shouldn't be concerned about their prostate on the basis of this study alone, Kibel argued.

"If they're waking up because they're having trouble going to the bathroom, then they should see a urologist," he said.

The study included 2,102 men from the AGES-Reykjavik study who answered four questions about their sleep.

Among them, 8.7% reported severe problems falling and staying asleep, and 5.7% reported very severe such problems at baseline.

During an average five years of follow-up, 6.4% of the men were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Compared with men who reported no sleep problems, the risk of prostate cancer adjusted for age, family history of prostate cancer, and other potential confounding factors was increased by 70% when severe sleep problems were present (hazard ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 2.9).

Overall prostate cancer risk was 2.1-fold more likely for those with "very severe" problems with falling and staying asleep (95% confidence interval 1.2 to 3.7).

For advanced prostate cancer, including stage T3 or worse and lethal disease, the risk was 2.1-fold higher with severe sleep problems and 3.2-fold elevated with very severe sleep disruption, though only statistically significant for the latter.

"It's quite a strong effect," Sigurdardottir concluded.

The study was supported by the Icelandic Research Fund, a Harvard Catalyst Award, the National Institute on Aging, and the Icelandic Cancer Registry.

The researchers reported having no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Kibel reported connections to Dendreon, Myriad Genetics, sanofi-aventis, and Forest Laboratories.

Primary source: Genitourinary Cancers Symposium
Source reference:
Sigurdardottir L, et al "Insomnia among elderly men and risk of prostate cancer" GUCS 2012; Abstract 78.

Resources (from Industry)

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGvbynuzOMnIy5HAjn4KckjN4Qptg&url=http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/news/20120201/sleep-apnea-linked-silent-strokes

Feb 3, 2012 10:17:11 PM

Sleep Apnea Linked to Silent Strokes - WebMD

Breathing Pauses During Sleep Tied to Brain Lesions

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

man snoring in bed

Feb. 1, 2012 -- A common sleep disorder is associated with an increased risk of symptomless but serious strokes called ?silent strokes,? German researchers report.

Sleep apnea, a condition marked by periodic interruptions in breathing during sleep, has been linked to an increased risk of strokes. But there hasn't been much research exploring the relationship between sleep apnea and silent strokes, says researcher Jessica Kepplinger, MD, of Dresden University Stroke Center at the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany.

So, Kepplinger and colleagues studied 56 men and women, aged 44 to 75 years, who?d had a stroke or mini-stroke known as a transient ischemic attack. All were given a screening tool that picks up changes in breathing during sleep.

Ninety-one percent periodically stopped breathing while they slept.

Then the men and women underwent brain imaging scans. Just over half had little areas of tissue death in the brain that had occurred in the past without a history of corresponding stroke symptoms -- evidence, Kepplinger tells WebMD, of silent stroke.

The more times a person stopped breathing during the night, the greater the likelihood of silent stroke, she says.

There was no comparison group, so researchers don't know how many people of the same ages and health status who don't have sleep apnea have had silent strokes.

Link Between Breathing and Stroke

MRI brain imaging studies suggest about 20% to 25% of people over age 60 have had a silent stroke, according to Harvard Medical School neurologist Steven Greenberg, MD, PhD. They have been linked to memory loss in some people, he says.

The study offers "good evidence linking" sleep apnea to silent stroke, Greenberg tells WebMD. But this is just an observation of an association between the two that needs further study, he says.

Greenberg moderated a news briefing to discuss the findings at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference.

The study is small and preliminary. But it poses a number of questions that deserve further research, says Harvard neurologist Lee Schwamm, MD.

"I think what we can say is that breathing problems are more common in stroke patients than suspected," he tells WebMD.

"But is abnormal breathing during sleep a long-term problem in these patients? Or will it go away? And is abnormal breathing a risk factor that leads to stroke? Or is it a consequence of stroke?" Schwamm asks.

Kepplinger plans further study. In the meantime, she says, all stroke patients should be screened for sleep apnea.

These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHDtx9DSiKwU4jr7pE_S1oIQGGQWA&url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-magic-schmitz-wizards-0202-20120201,0,5425517.column

Feb 3, 2012 6:17:07 AM

02/02/2012

Brian Schmitz: Stan Van Gundy, losing sleep over Magic streak, turns to ... - Orlando Sentinel

Stan Van Gundy's doctor prescribed him sleeping pills so the Magic's clanking offense, among other things, wouldn't keep him up all night.

Passive defense, a harried schedule, injured starters, turnovers, the team he's coaching with Dwight Howard and the team he'll inherit after Howard ? well, it's enough to give the restless coach insomnia. But not a sense of insecurity.

Van Gundy was wide awake and conscious when he said he wasn't worried about his job.

"It doesn't weigh on me," he said.

Van Gundy has a guaranteed contract that runs through next season, and he doesn't listen to all the doomsday sports-talk chatter. Or at least he doesn't take it seriously.

The Magic are struggling through a brutal stretch, experiencing the worst losses ever under Van Gundy's reign, but he remains philosophical as he can about his future.

He knows how the business works.

The franchise has steadily regressed since reaching the NBA Finals in 2009, and we could see some heads roll after the Howard saga plays out.

"At some point, I'll be part of it (his job on the line). This year, next year, four years?. probably not 60 years," he laughed.

Van Gundy said if the DeVos family decides to make a change one day he'll have no "hard feelings," adding he'll know "when my finger scan (entrance to Magic headquarters) doesn't work.

"My brother (Jeff, a former NBA coach) said, 'Getting fired is not painful. It's what leads up to it ? the losing, the team not playing well.' It's true."

The Magic entered Wednesday losing six of their last eight, including four in a row. All you need to know about Van Gundy's plight: They desperately needed a win against woeful Washington. Yes, the Wizards.

Van Gundy can coach. You don't push a team to the title round on luck. As one league scout told me, "Stan can squeeze more out of an orange than anybody I've ever seen."

He's not perfect and has second-guessed himself on some decisions he has made as he scrambles to keep this thing together.

"This is the toughest situation I've ever seen a coach have," said former Dallas Mavs and Magic coach Richie Adubato, the Magic's radio analyst. "You don't have much of a camp, crazy schedule ?. It's an unbelievable situation."

Van Gundy still suffers miserably with each loss, not to mention several. He doesn't handle this sort of adversity well. In fact, he said he's "worse actually," thus the pharmaceutical sleep aid.

But he grew up with a coach, his father, Bill, and that meant making no excuses.

"I'm responsible for how the team plays. Forget all the other B.S.," he said. "That's on me?.I don't quit. I'll come back and try to get it right."

True, Van Gundy has taken the blame for his team's poor play. He has fallen on his sword so much this season he should be leaking Diet Coke.

Van Gundy's nature, handed down from his father, is to run hot emotionally and rant frequently.

It takes every ounce of his being to remain positive, and he wonders if he has at all times.

The 2009 version of Van Gundy might have already had some meltdowns, but he realizes, "It's a tough time to be railing on guys. I try not to jump on them? try to keep them fighting."

His reeling team was 11-4 at point. It was doing something right.

"I know we'll come out of this on the other side OK," he said.

Van Gundy said he "vents" with his coaches, who listen as he beats himself up.

"I have them," he said of his assistants. "I don't need a sports psychologist."

He does need some sleep, though.

bschmitz@tribune.com

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGvbynuzOMnIy5HAjn4KckjN4Qptg&url=http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/news/20120201/sleep-apnea-linked-silent-strokes

Feb 2, 2012 2:17:13 PM

02/01/2012

Sleep Apnea Linked to Silent Strokes - WebMD

Breathing Pauses During Sleep Tied to Brain Lesions

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

man snoring in bed

Feb. 1, 2012 -- A common sleep disorder is associated with an increased risk of symptomless but serious strokes called ?silent strokes,? German researchers report.

Ninety-one percent periodically stopped breathing while they slept.

The more times a person stopped breathing during the night, the greater the likelihood of silent stroke, she says.

There was no comparison group, so researchers don't know how many people of the same ages and health status who don't have sleep apnea have had silent strokes.

Link Between Breathing and Stroke

The study offers "good evidence linking" sleep apnea to silent stroke, Greenberg tells WebMD. But this is just an observation of an association between the two that needs further study, he says.

Greenberg moderated a news briefing to discuss the findings at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference.

The study is small and preliminary. But it poses a number of questions that deserve further research, says Harvard neurologist Lee Schwamm, MD.

"I think what we can say is that breathing problems are more common in stroke patients than suspected," he tells WebMD.

Kepplinger plans further study. In the meantime, she says, all stroke patients should be screened for sleep apnea.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFTJ5zvgUNwUiXt3cusxBFvK5Fj0w&url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/IndiaSectionPage/India/Can-t-sleep-at-night-ISRO-scientist/Article1-805144.aspx

Feb 1, 2012 10:17:14 PM

Can't sleep at night: ISRO scientist - Hindustan Times

Space scientist A Bhaskaranarayana, one of the four former ISRO scientists blacklisted from government jobs on the controversial Antrix-Devas deal, today said the action has left him feeling miserable and worried over his standing in society.
"We feel miserable. We have worked for 37 years..average nine to ten hours a day including Sundays, and one day we have been given such a notice (barring them from government jobs)", an anguished Bhaskaranarayana, a former Scientific Secretary at ISRO, told PTI here.

"Such an urgency and emergency only for four of us? We are not the only ones in the country", he said.

"I am not doing any government work right now but in society what's our value?", he asked. "We feel miserable, don't get sleep in the night".

Asked why he thought the four had been "singled out" for the action, Bhaskaranarayana said: "Four of us were occupying some positions important at that time which are relating to this area (Antrix-Devas deal).

On whether he saw a conspiracy against the four or somebody behind the move, he said he does not want to guess at all. "It's very difficult to say. People like us who are scientists, we don't know politics. We do our work and get out", he said.

Bhaskaranarayana had quit his visiting professorship (after retirement from ISRO), six months before the two-year tenure was to come to an end, following the change of guard at the space agency with K Radhakrishnan taking over from G Madhavan Nair as Chairman.

"I had my own personal reasons (to quit before completion). When Chairman changes, some important positions have to change", he said, seeking to blame Radhakrishnan indirectly.

Former ISRO Chief Nair, who has also been barred from occupying government posts, had accused Radhakrishnan of being responsible for the punitive action against him and the three others because of a "personal agenda."

For more, visit NBCConnecticut.com

Feb 1, 2012 6:17:11 AM

01/31/2012

Police pursuit ends with car on sleeping man - msnbc.com

Brynn Gingras / NBC Connecticut

A man in New Haven was sleeping until a car crashed into his house and landed on top of him.

By Danielle Poulin and Brynn Gingras, NBCConnecticut.com

A Connecticut man woke up to a real-life nightmare early Tuesday morning when a car police were pursuing slammed into his apartment while he was sleeping and landed on top of him.

Just after 12:30 a.m., Hamden Police spotted a BMW wanted for motor vehicle violations and attempted to stop the driver.

Police pursued the car from Hamden to New Haven, through the Southern Connecticut State University campus and into the Newhallville section of New Haven.

Hamden Police made several attempts to stop the fleeing BMW, police said, but the driver lost control, crashed through a first-floor apartment at 91 Winchester Ave. and fled.

Michael Sweat, 34, a tenant, was trapped beneath the car for more than an hour as rescuers attempted to free him.

Sweat was taken to the Hospital of St. Raphael with second- and third-degree burns to his lower body and is expected to recover.

New Haven police were not involved in the pursuit, but are searching for the driver of the BMW who fled the scene. State police are also assisting in the investigation.

New Haven emergency crews and the building inspector are expected to remain at the scene for several hours to remove the car from inside the apartment and to determine if the multifamily house is structurally sound.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNElH8VWsMRAd3ZpmI-HvnxY-ItNww&url=http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/31/10278821-police-pursuit-ends-with-car-on-sleeping-man

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNE3Ao_vqRZ79YZikVRvpAljsyWNgA&url=http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-120130/nba-sleep-teams

Jan 31, 2012 2:17:09 PM

01/30/2012

Don't sleep on these teams - ESPN

Duncan-Nowitzki-Pierce US PresswireIt wouldn't be wise to count out veteran teams like Duncan's Spurs, Nowitzki's Mavs or Pierce's Celtics.

Just because a team is underachieving right now doesn't mean it will keep playing poorly all season. Our 5-on-5 crew takes a look at some potential sleepers.

1. Which is the No. 5 sleeper team in the NBA?

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: If nothing else, the Knicks have made the New York papers fun to read. They've lost to four lottery teams at home and have been a certified train wreck. Yet for all the dysfunction and Carmelo Anthony's wounded ankle, thumb and ego, they're only two games out of the playoffs. If they can get Anthony back and Baron Davis in uniform, they should be able to crack the Top 8 in the East.

Brendan Jackson, Celtics Hub: Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies and the Thunder were the darlings of the 2011 playoffs. The Thunder have picked up where they left off but injuries to Zach Randolph and Darrell Arthur have set the Griz back. They've had to integrate new pieces and their offense has taken a big hit. That said, it's only a matter of time before they get it together.

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: Miami Heat. I'm not sure the Heat really qualify for this quiz, but I doubt they will have another month in which they lose a third of their games.

Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds: Memphis Grizzlies.

When Z-Bo went down, everyone wrote this team off. Those who did might have forgotten how good Rudy Gay is. Even if the Griz are depleted up front, they have excellent depth and high-level defenders, and they've won seven of their past 10 games. Meanwhile, Marc Gasol looks like he might have been underpaid.

Royce Young, Daily Thunder: Boston Celtics. They don't really have a good excuse as to why they didn't play well the first five weeks of the season other than maybe they're old and played horrible basketball. But still, the first month was a grind for everyone, and as the Celtics get healthy and start to hit their stride, all this talk of missing the playoffs will disappear and it'll be back to talking title chances if they're one of the top four Eastern teams.

2. Which is the No. 4 sleeper team in the NBA?

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: The 13-6 Pacers are one of the feel-good stories of the early season, so they certainly haven't slept on anyone. But when you consider that they've played only six of those games at home (where they're 5-1), their best days still might be ahead. If Roy Hibbert's balky ankle holds up and Danny Granger can play like he has over the past week, then the Pacers will hold the inside track to the East's No. 3 seed.

Brendan Jackson, Celtics Hub: Cleveland Cavaliers. They have been reinvigorated with the arrival of Kyrie Irving. So far, they've looked great in their wins (only two were single-digit point differentials) and up-and-down in their losses; typical signs of growing pains for a team on the rise. The Cavs are currently tied for the eighth playoff spot. If the old guard continues to change, I see the Cavs holding this spot.

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs have played one of the toughest schedules in the league and sustained an injury to their best player. Assuming all those teams in the Southwest Division don't beat each other up too much, the Spurs should be primed for a strong end of the season when Manu returns to one of the deepest San Antonio teams in recent memory.

Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds: Boston Celtics. We knew the Celtics weren't built for this season. Given the age of their three great players not named Rajon Rondo, they just might not be built for any season anymore. But there is no other team in the league with as many Hall of Famers, and there isn't a squad in the league that Boston, if it plays at its best, couldn't beat in a seven-game series.

Royce Young, Daily Thunder: Memphis Grizzlies. They were dealt a bad blow in losing Randolph for an extended period of time with a knee injury, but still, they've been able to keep their head above water. Remember, this was a team many expected to contend for the West and they definitely have the pieces. They've just got to get them back and playing.

3. Which is the No. 3 sleeper team in the NBA?

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: San Antonio Spurs. If the playoffs were to start today, the Spurs would be facing a tee time. They are ranked 23rd defensively, have been without Manu Ginobili since Jan. 2 and still have their rodeo trip in front of them. But if they can tread water on the road until Manu gets back, the Spurs should experience a bounce. They've rationed starter minutes and have been developing their supporting cast. Does anyone really believe there are eight better teams in the West?

Brendan Jackson, Celtics Hub: Boston Celtics. The first team no other NBA team will count out. With all the hoopla around declaring this team done, the fact that they haven't been healthy all season slides under the radar. They've currently won four of their past five games and are scheduled to get Rajon Rondo back any day. Of course, once they get healthy, there's no chance they'll stay that way.

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: Boston Celtics. Yes, the Celtics are old, thin and no longer one of the most feared defenses in the NBA. But their ugly midmonth losing streak came at the hands of solid playoff teams, and Paul Pierce is finally looking like his old, err, young self. The Celtics aren't a sleeping contender, but they are better than they've played.

Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds: San Antonio. The Spurs had the best record in the West last season and have managed to tread water despite losing Ginobili. That may be a blessing in disguise, however, as it is forcing the inexperienced players on the roster (Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard, Gary Neal) into larger roles. The big three can't do it on their own anymore, so coach Gregg Popovich will need these guys come playoff time. And without any truly scary teams across the Mississippi aside from the Thunder, it would shock nobody if the Spurs crawled their way back to the conference finals.

Royce Young, Daily Thunder: Los Angeles Lakers. There are problems. Big ones. The Lakers can't score consistently, have to rely way too much on No. 24 while at the same time No. 24 relies too much on himself. Mike Brown has himself a little bit of a mess, but still, these are the Lakers. They have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. This is a good team. It was an ugly first five weeks, but it's way too premature to write them off.

4. Which is the No. 2 sleeper team in the NBA?

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: The Rockets have enough firepower to score on just about anyone, and now they've started to figure some stuff out defensively. They guard the perimeter, have stopped fouling and run back in transition. They haven't played the toughest schedule of late, but they're like an entirely different team than the one that came out of the gate 2-6 and will be a tough out if they can sustain the progress.

Brendan Jackson, Celtics Hub: Los Angeles Lakers. The second team no other NBA team will count out. This team has shown so much championship mettle over the years, things are just bound to get better. Even with one of the toughest remaining schedules, I'll never count out the Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol tandem. Besides, who knows who they'll add at the deadline?

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: Portland Trail Blazers. They have lost a bunch of close games and dropped some puzzlers to bad teams as they continue to integrate some new pieces into a new, faster style of play. This team could easily be 15-5 and will challenge for a top-three seed in the West.

Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds: Dallas. Former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said it best in 1995: "Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion." That year, he -- or, more accurately, Hakeem Olajuwon -- led Houston to its second straight title. The Rockets never had home-court advantage as they entered the playoffs as a 6-seed. So it was somewhat fitting that they won their final six games en route to the rings. Dirk isn't quite Hakeem, but after seeing what he did while carrying the Mavs to the 'ship last season, are you going to bet against him?

Royce Young, Daily Thunder: Portland Trail Blazers. For a second there, everyone wanted to put a crown on the Blazers' head as maybe the best team in the West. Then they lost five of seven, revealing big deficiencies. But there's no doubt this team has the pieces to legitimately push for the top of the West. It's not hard to picture a big month coming from Portland, during which the Blazers climb the standings quickly.

5. Which is the No. 1 sleeper team in the NBA?

Kevin Arnovitz, ESPN.com: Can the reigning champs be classified as a sleeper? Rarely do you hear anyone list the Mavericks among the title favorites, but despite a horrendous start, a carousel of new players and a hiatus by Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs find themselves in first place in their division. They're the NBA's fifth-ranked defense and we have to figure they'll be better than a league average offense by April. Look out.

Brendan Jackson, Celtics Hub: Minnesota Timberwolves. This is a good team trapped in the toughest division in the NBA. Now with the Kevin Love contract situation settled, it's only a matter of time until Love, Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams build chemistry and start winning consistently. They also have solid role players and a great coach.

Beckley Mason, HoopSpeak: Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies aren't exactly in hibernation after a seven-game win streak, but they are still wiping the sleep from their eyes and struggling against good teams. With Randolph yet to return, expect this team to fatten itself on wins like its namesake on spawning sockeye.

Jared Wade, Eight Points, Nine Seconds: The Lakers. Kobe isn't scoring 40 a night anymore, but that's for the best. Sure, Los Angeles still has a ton to figure out -- namely, how to get Andrew Bynum more than 12 shots per night -- but it can beat any other team in the West. The Thunder, who have lost four of their past five head-to-head matches with the Lakers, know that as well as anyone.

Royce Young, Daily Thunder: San Antonio Spurs. It kind of feels like the Spurs are intentionally hovering around .500. Like they're just trying to do just enough to stay in the race while also conserving themselves for a big push in March. They've been without Manu Ginobili for most of the season and have gotten some inconsistent play from their role players, but the Spurs are coming. They're like a racehorse waiting for the chance to get to the inside and make a move.

ESPN.com and the TrueHoop Network
Kevin Arnovitz is an editor for ESPN.com. Brendan Jackson, Beckley Mason, Jared Wade and Royce Young contribute to the TrueHoop Network.
? Follow the NBA on ESPN on Twitter | On Facebook | On Google+

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEJSaXFjS_fToHB2IeV3Qd7qxFAeA&url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/State-to-homeless-people-No-more-sleeping-under-2826089.php

Jan 30, 2012 10:17:12 PM

State to homeless people: No more sleeping under the viaduct - Seattle Post Intelligencer

At 3 a.m. on a recent cold night, a busy nocturnal scene was in full swing under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, while the rest of the city slept.

There was Stephan, pungent and disheveled, swaying on his feet. There was Kevin, a weathered, no-nonsense guy digging through a Dumpster in the dark for scrap metal.

There were makeshift beds on concrete, homes in cardboard, a tarp fixed to the window of a swanky furniture shop. A cough came from the underbelly of a construction tank, and doorways and walls sheltered sleeping figures.

But beginning Monday, the downtown dwellers of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be gone. The state will begin sweeping away homeless people, as it expands its tunnel replacement construction a few blocks north to Yesler Way. The evictions are expected to grow through February, as construction moves to Spring Street in Seattle's downtown core.

Monday's sweep comes days after the region's annual outside homeless count, a big advocacy event that drew Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and two Obama officials in the wee hours last Friday. People counted that night have now become people evicted.

Advocates said the sweep's timing ? originally set for days before the count ? was oblivious of homeless people, many of whom had gone into emergency shelters during the snowstorm and left their belongings hidden under the highway.

'Are you insane?'

"When they told me they were doing (the sweep before the count), I said, 'Are you insane? We have two senior Obama officials coming to take part in our federally mandated count and you are proposing to sweep people?' " said Alison Eisenger, executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness.

State officials agreed to postpone the sweep until Monday.

But the bigger problem for advocates is a lack of funds to help poor, vulnerable people disrupted by construction. The $3.1 billion tunnel project includes millions of dollars to help thousands of affected commuters, with more buses, new parking and a $30 million mitigation fund for the central waterfront.

There was also money for an artists' colony, whose building was about to be razed, until public protest led the state to save it. That will cost up to $20 million, paid from the project's real-estate fund.

There was $490,000 for the controversial Milepost 31 museum, a history display ridiculed by Republicans as wasteful spending during the state's financial crisis. There was a marketing campaign for affected Pioneer Square businesses.

"Despite the fact they're pouring resources into mitigation - for noise, pedestrian interference, loss of parking ? they're not willing to consider mitigation for the most basic sort of need, for people for whom displacement is in the most profound sense," said Eisenger.

She wanted the state to put up money for a homeless shelter, which she said would cost maybe $500,000. She estimated that roughly 100 to 150 people sleep under and around the highway, though one city outreach worker said it was more like 10 to 50.

Responsible for safety, not shelter

Pat McCormick, a tunnel construction engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said funding constraints limit how the department spends mitigation money.

Much of it is earmarked for transit, he said. Funds for the Milepost 31 museum were dedicated to helping the historic neighborhood of Pioneer Square through construction.

"We are limited for what we can provide funds for," McCormick said.

He said Monday's sweep is for safety reasons, and that his department follows protocols when it comes to homeless campers. Crews post "no trespassing" signs three days before a sweep and check construction sites for people sleeping or hiding near heavy equipment.

Those measures come from guidelines established after two homeless people were killed at state-managed construction sites.

"We have a responsibility to make sure people are safe in our construction zone," McCormick said.

"We are conscious and can have compassion that there are less fortunate individuals, and we understand. But we have to come from a safety standpoint."

He said an "industrial hygienist" was scheduled to start cleaning at 8 a.m. on Monday, and workers will "kindly" ask any campers to leave. He said belongings will be photographed and stored for people to pick up.

But while safety was his responsibility, helping displaced homeless people wasn't. That belonged to the city of Seattle, he said. He said he was coordinating with them.

David Takami, a spokesman for the city's Human Services Department, said outreach workers have been visiting viaduct dwellers to offer shelter and other services. They had done three visits in the last month, including two daytime ones in the last week.

He said shelter space was available. But of 11 people contacted, only two took up the city's offer.

It was unknown if workers met up with Kevin, the scrap-metal digger roaming Alaskan Way at night. He lived in a camp near SODO, came to the viaduct for its discarded treasures, and had fashioned a tough, outside, solitary existence.

"I don't put my hand out like a lot of people do. I work," he said, pointing to his loot of aluminum cans and metal blinds. Then he hopped on a well-outfitted pedicab and rode away in the darkness.

Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news. Contact Vanessa Ho at 206-448-8003 or vanessaho@seattlepi.com, and follow her on Twitter as @vanessaho.

http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/health/nutrition/view/20120128nap-deprived_tots_missing_more_than_sleep_study_finds/srvc=home

Jan 30, 2012 6:17:11 AM

01/29/2012

Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds - Boston Herald

Redirect Notice

Redirect Notice

The previous page is sending you to

If you do not want to visit that page, you can return to the previous page.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEymxM7fJU_M1Quh3uYr2dl3qKTmw&url=http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/health/nutrition/view/20120128nap-deprived_tots_missing_more_than_sleep_study_finds/srvc=home&position=recent

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHvElPp8LZeVdnrkGWFBQGEkMZwtw&url=http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/saturday-night-sleep-out-to-raise-awareness-for-area-s-homeless

Jan 29, 2012 2:17:15 PM

01/28/2012

Saturday Night Sleep-Out to Raise Awareness for Area's Homeless - Patch.com

Young people from across Middlesex County are expected to brave January?s cold and sleep outdoors tonight, as part of a program to educate people about the existence and conditions of homelessness in the community.

The third annual Homelessness Awareness Discussion and Sleep-Out will kick off at 6 p.m. South Congregational Church on Main Street in Middletown. The event is sponsored by 10 faith-based organizations in collaboration with the Middlesex County Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (MCCHH), which is implementing a Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in the county.

Following an opening prayer by South Congregational Church?s Rev. Marybeth Marshall and her intern, Marilyn Kendrix, Middletown Mayor Dan Drew will address the participants and then the young people will visit three stations in the church; one to learn about the county?s Ten Year Plan, a second to discuss connecting faith with homelessness and a third where the teens will examine their perceptions of who the homeless are and discuss what they would carry if they had to squeeze all their possessions into a backpack.

The teens will hear first-hand about the ordeal of homelessness from several volunteers who are currently or formerly homeless and be able to ask questions. After this, a simple soup and bread dinner will be served and Pastor Dale Azevedo of the Middlefield Federated Church will offer a closing prayer.

This is the second year that young people from St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Chester are participating in the sleep-out and last year the experience opened the eyes of many of the participants. ?The biggest thing they take away is that these homeless people are real; they are just like them,? said Jim Tabor, youth ministry coordinator for St. Joseph?s, which this year will have 10 teens joining thesleep-out. ?There were circumstances that drove them to homelessness; some within their control and some not. And they learn just how difficult homelessness is.?

Youth participants then will disperse to their home churches to spend the night outside. In the past, some of them have chosen to sleep in their cars without heat, build cardboard shelters or just spread their sleeping bags on tarps on the frozen ground.

Youth will be sleeping out near churches in Middletown, Middlefield, Chester, Deep River, Cromwell, and Old Saybrook. More than 90 students are expected to participate.

Despite some positive signs, homelessness in Middlesex County increased from 2010 to 2011, due largely to the ongoing recession, and is affecting new segments of the population. According to figures from January 2011, there were 248 people including 159 single adults and 37 families with 52 children in Middlesex County experiencing homelessness, a 15 percent increase over 2010.

Out of the 248 homeless people, 43 percent had never been homeless before. In Middlesex County, almost half ?43 percent -- of adults in families cited domestic violence as a contributing cause of homelessness, while 25 percent of families reported rent problems or eviction as the reason they left their last residence. Ten percent of the total included chronically homeless people -- adults with disabling conditions who had been homeless for a year or more or who had at least four episodes of homelessness during the past three years. The remaining 90 percent experienced situational homelessness caused by a crisis such as job loss, foreclosure or illness and typically return to permanent housing within 30 days of becoming homeless.

The Middlesex County Coalition on Housing and Homelessness was formed in late 2007 to execute the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness. Over the past year, 56 ?Housing First? supportive housing units were created to house formerly chronically-homeless individuals and 170 households (including more than 230 children) have been helped through the flexible homelessness prevention fund.

Through the creation of permanent supportive housing, the operation of a Homelessness Prevention Fund, the development of outreach and education programs to help homeless people find and retain jobs, and improving coordination of services for the homeless, the Coalition is dedicated to achieving its goal of ?An End In Ten?? eradicating the tragedy of homelessness from our communities by 2018.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/MetabolicSyndrome/30877?pfc=101

Jan 28, 2012 10:17:11 PM

Sleep Problems Tied to CV, Metabolic Troubles - MedPage Today

Redirect Notice

Redirect Notice

The previous page is sending you to

If you do not want to visit that page, you can return to the previous page.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFUzPNNrPcO6TRRhLcfDKALGZmijw&url=http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/MetabolicSyndrome/30877?pfc=101&spc=230

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/homes/Sleep%20well%20live%20well/6062797/story.html

Jan 28, 2012 6:17:10 AM

01/27/2012

Sleep well, live well - Ottawa Citizen

Redirect Notice

Redirect Notice

The previous page is sending you to

If you do not want to visit that page, you can return to the previous page.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGvghxvbmlSEz-SvLJRCmaaFqLrhA&url=http://www.ottawacitizen.com/homes/Sleep+well+live+well/6062797/story.html

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Jan 27, 2012 2:17:13 PM

01/26/2012

Initial Clinical Data Reveal Potential of Tasimelteon to Reset the Body Clock ... - MarketWatch (press release)

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. /quotes/zigman/99189/quotes/nls/vnda VNDA -0.60% announced today that tasimelteon was shown for the first time to reset the body clock and to align it to a constant 24-hour day in patients suffering from Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24-Hour Disorder). Tasimelteon is a circadian regulator in development for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder in totally blind individuals with no light perception.

This observation was made in four patients during the initial run-in segment of the RESET study. RESET is a Phase III study of the maintenance effect of tasimelteon in the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder. Vanda intends to enroll a total of 20 tasimelteon responders in this study.

"We are extremely excited by this finding as it provides us with evidence that tasimelteon is able to reset the body clock in patients with Non-24-Hour Disorder," said Mihael H. Polymeropoulos, MD, President and CEO of Vanda Pharmaceuticals.

Circadian regulation is necessary for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder and it is predictive of a beneficial effect on both nighttime sleep and daytime naps. While light resets the body clock in sighted individuals, keeping it synchronized with the 24-hour day, this effect is lost in totally blind individuals with no light perception.

Vanda is currently studying the efficacy of tasimelteon in Non-24-Hour Disorder in two Phase III studies, SET and RESET, which are ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

About the RESET Study

RESET is a randomized withdrawal study designed to demonstrate the maintenance effect of 20 mg tasimelteon in the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder. Twenty totally blind individuals with no light perception and diagnosed as having a body clock period of greater than 24 hours, will be treated with tasimelteon for three months during a run-in phase. Patients who respond to tasimelteon treatment during the run-in phase, as measured by the resetting and alignment of their body clock to the 24-hour day, will then be randomized either to receive placebo or to continue receiving tasimelteon for 2 months. During the post-randomization phase, patients will be re-evaluated. For more information, please visit http://clinicaltrials.gov/ .

About Non-24-Hour Disorder

Non-24-Hour Disorder is a chronic circadian rhythm sleep disorder that affects more than 50 percent of the totally blind individuals in the U.S., or 65,000 to 95,000 people. Non-24-Hour Disorder occurs almost entirely in individuals who are totally blind and lack the light sensitivity necessary to reset the circadian clock. Without light perception, the brain's circadian rhythms, which guide many of the body's functions, including sleep, are not reset to a regular 24-hour cycle.

Individuals with Non-24-Hour Disorder are unable to synchronize their internal clock to the 24-hour day-night cycle, which disrupts their sleep-wake cycle. For more information, please visit http://24sleepwake.com/ .

About Tasimelteon

Tasimelteon is the first compound in development for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Disorder. Tasimelteon is a specific and potent agonist of the human MT1 and MT2 receptors. Compounds that selectively bind to melatonin receptors are thought to be able to regulate the body clock, which may be useful to treat circadian rhythm disorders. Tasimelteon is being studied in both Non-24 and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

About Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of products for central nervous system disorders. For more on Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., please visit http://www.vandapharma.com/ .

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Various statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" under the securities laws. Words such as, but not limited to, "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "targets," "likely," "will," "would," and "could," or the negative of these terms and similar expressions or words, identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations that involve risks, changes in circumstances, assumptions and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the company's forward-looking statements include, among others: the extent and effectiveness of the development, sales and marketing and distribution support Fanapt® receives; Vanda's ability to successfully commercialize Fanapt® outside of the U.S. and Canada; delays in the completion of Vanda's clinical trials; a failure of Vanda's products, product candidates or partnered products to be demonstrably safe and effective; Vanda's failure to obtain regulatory approval for its products, product candidates or partnered products or to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements; a lack of acceptance of Vanda's products, product candidates or partnered products in the marketplace, or a failure to become or remain profitable; Vanda's expectations regarding trends with respect to its costs and expenses; Vanda's inability to obtain the capital necessary to fund additional research and development activities; Vanda's failure to identify or obtain rights to new products or product candidates; Vanda's failure to develop or obtain sales, marketing and distribution resources and expertise or to otherwise manage its growth; limitations on Vanda's ability to utilize some or all of its prior net operating losses and research and development credits; a loss of any of Vanda's key scientists or management personnel; losses incurred from product liability claims made against Vanda; a loss of rights to develop and commercialize Vanda's products or product candidates under its license and sublicense agreements and other factors that are described in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Vanda's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 which is on file with the SEC and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov . In addition to the risks described above and in Vanda's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, other unknown or unpredictable factors also could affect Vanda's results. There can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by Vanda will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Vanda. Therefore, no assurance can be given that the outcomes stated in such forward-looking statements and estimates will be achieved.

All written and verbal forward-looking statements attributable to Vanda or any person acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to herein. Vanda cautions investors not to rely too heavily on the forward-looking statements Vanda makes or that are made on its behalf. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and Vanda undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Contact: Cristina MurphySenior Communications Manager Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (240) 599-4500 cristina.murphy@vandapharma.com

Media Contact: Brad MilesBMC Communications (212) 477-9007, extension 17bmiles@bmccommunications.com

SOURCE Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.

/quotes/zigman/99189/quotes/nls/vnda

Volume: 78,703

Jan. 25, 2012 4:00p

Comtex

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNErjr6kGwqohBCIw2Mcls4oEXSfTQ&url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/initial-clinical-data-reveal-potential-of-tasimelteon-to-reset-the-body-clock-in-non-24-hour-sleep-wake-disorder-2012-01-26

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGfiulpi16QAaY2lFFSXymD277i6Q&url=http://www.woi-tv.com/story/16601966/carlisle-mom-donates-sleep-sacks-to-metro-hospital

Jan 26, 2012 10:17:15 PM

Carlisle Mom Donates Sleep Sacks to Metro Hospital - WOI

By Lisa Martone

LMartone@myabc5.com

DES MOINES-- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the top five leading causes of death in infants and still researchers know very little about the reasons for it. But this isn't stopping mothers changed by this syndrome from doing something about it.

A mom from Carlisle who was touched closely by SIDS is now trying to help other metro women put up a fight against this much unexplained problem. Julie Tuttle lost her baby girl to SIDS two years ago, when she was just two months old.

"Taryn was born November 3, 2009 and she passed away from SIDS actually two years ago January 25, 2010, just during her afternoon nap. It was very sudden," Tuttle explains.

Sudden, and life changing for Julie. Simple things like going to the store were not the same anymore. There was a hole left and too many unanswered questions.

"You are used to doing everything with your child ...and then you have all these questions why? Why did this happen to us?" she said.

Those questions may never be answered. Yet, even though this syndrome is very puzzling, doctors believe the babies may have an inability to detect a build?up of carbon dioxide in their blood.

"Despite a lot of movement to getting babies to sleep on their backs and other techniques to decrease the risks, it is still something that we see in this day and age," said Dr. Henry Yuan, Pediatric Pulmonologist and Sleep Specialist at Mercy Medical Center.

So in Taryn's memory, Julie and a friend who also lost a baby boy, raised money to purchase more than 100 specially designed sleep sacks to give to new mothers at Mercy. Some experts believe by sleeping in these sacks without blankets and being positioned on their backs, it may decrease the risk.

"We are hoping that by giving these sleep sacks people and parents will become more aware there are risk factors" she said.

Yuan said even though these sacks may be helpful, there is no particular device that has been formally tested that will completely prevent SIDS.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEjAFoxT0u-qeaH_e0gARQCmDuNAw&url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/322005-the-price-of-a-good-night-s-sleep

Jan 26, 2012 6:17:10 AM

01/25/2012

The Price Of A Good Night's Sleep - Seeking Alpha

Even with the recent market rally, investors are still placing a significant premium on those assets perceived as ?safe?. Case in point: The U.S. Treasury market. By one measure ? real yields measured against core inflation ? long-dated Treasuries are offering the worst returns in over 30 years. The flip side of this trade is a persistent aversion to assets perceived to be the most risky, particularly Europe. Even in the more stable, northern parts

of Europe many markets are trading at 8 to 9 times earnings, with dividend yields ranging from 4% to over 5%. In a low yield world, this strikes us an interesting long-term opportunity.

Negative Returns and More Risk: What Could Go Wrong?

In the seemingly unstoppable march toward a 0% long-bond, U.S. Treasuries recently notched another milestone. In September, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note dipped below the rate of core inflation for the first time in 30 years. In recent months, the trend has continued. With rates still stuck at or below 2% and core inflation now at its highest level in over three years, the spread between the yield on a 10-year Treasury and core inflation is now at its most negative since 1980.

Click to enlarge

While it is not uncommon for nominal Treasury yields to dip below headline inflation, it is much rarer to see Treasury yields below core inflation. Since the late 1950s, the average spread between the 10-year Treasury note and core inflation has been roughly 2.60%, consistent with the level suggested by most economic text books.

One reason it is unusual to see yields this low relative to core inflation is that this measure of inflation ? which excludes food and energy prices ? tends to be more stable. For example, nominal rates dipped below headline inflation in 2008. However, this was a temporary phenomenon caused by the spike in oil prices, which briefly drove inflation north of 5%. In contrast, core inflation never climbed above 2.50% in 2008 and real rates based on core inflation remained positive.

Today?s negative turn in real rates is significant. Historically, core inflation has typically been a better predictor of future inflation than the headline number. Given this, it is important to note that core inflation is still rising, albeit from low levels. In December core inflation hit 2.2%, the highest level since the fall of 2008. While none of this suggests that the United States is facing an imminent bout of inflation, it does suggest that inflation is at least stabilizing at normal levels, a conclusion reinforced by the recent anchoring of inflation expectations at around 3.2% (based on University of Michigan one-year inflation expectations).

As we?ve argued in the past, for long-term investors, buying a Treasury note or bond at these yields only makes sense if you expect the United States to slip into Japanese-style deflation. To the extent that does not look likely, it is hard to justify locking in a flat to negative real yield. It is even harder to justify this when you consider that today?s low coupon means that the effective duration ? sensitivity to interest rates ? is higher than in the past. In other words, not only are real yields negative, but Treasuries are likely to be more volatile.

Many would argue that yields are likely to stay low for some time, given the extension of the Fed?s quantitative easing program coupled with their long-term commitment to low short-term rates. But to some extent this is beyond the point. While Fed intervention may keep rates low and potentially mitigate the near-term risk of capital loss, unless inflation falls substantially investors are still accepting flat to negative real return. To add insult to injury, not only are they accepting a loss of purchasing power, but are implicitly accepting more risk in the process. That is a heavy price to pay for a good night?s sleep by investing in a safe haven.

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sleepapnea.html

Jan 25, 2012 2:17:11 PM

01/24/2012

Laying risky sleep to rest - U-T San Diego

Do you have sleep apnea?

Without a sleep partner to nudge you every time you snore, it can be difficult to know if you?re exhibiting signs of obstructive sleep apnea. Here are some common symptoms to watch for:

Loud and chronic snoring, often enough to wake yourself up.

Excessive daytime sleepiness, even after a full seven to eight hours of sleep.

Choking or gasping that awaken you from sleep.

Morning headaches.

Memory or learning problems; inability to concentrate.

A dry mouth and throat upon wakening.

Wake up frequently during the night for unknown reasons.

Dreams that you?re drowning or suffocating.

If you think you might have sleep apnea, talk with your doctor about being tested at a sleep center.

More than snoring

Untreated sleep apnea can increase the risk of certain health problems and diseases, including:

? Coronary artery disease complications

? Unmanageable hypertension

? Diabetes

? Stroke

? Cognitive impairment and dementia

? Sexual dysfunction

? Depression

Learn more

? American Sleep Apnea Association:

sleepapnea.org

? MedlinePlus:

? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute:

nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sleepapnea

? National Sleep Foundation:

sleepfoundation.org

of middle- aged men

of middle-aged women and

of children have sleep apnea

If you think your only treatment options for sleep apnea are surgery or a loud, cumbersome breathing machine, it?s time to think again and get ready for a restful night?s sleep.

For the more than 12 million Americans who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, a common disorder in which breathing stops hundreds of times during the night, there are now more comfortable and effective choices to manage their condition, with some other promising innovations on the horizon.

Although the latest treatments still aren?t perfect for every sleep apnea patient, longtime suffers like Glen Fuller admit they?ve come a long way.

When the 71-year-old was diagnosed with sleep apnea 21 years ago, his doctor gave him a CPAP machine that ?was so big it took up my entire bedside table,? he said, describing the continuous positive airway pressure machine consisting of a nasal mask that blows air into the patient?s airway to keep it open while he sleeps. ?It was horribly uncomfortable, and it was probably louder than my snoring ever was.?

Frustrated, Fuller retired the CPAP to the back of his closet after a few weeks and had surgery hoping to permanently alleviate the problem. Unfortunately, it was only partially effective for about a year. At that point, Fuller gave up. He went back to disrupted breathing during sleep, snoring and drowsy days, until his physician convinced him that his health was in jeopardy and urged him to try the latest CPAP.

?I admit I was very reluctant at first, but, boy, what a difference. The new (CPAP) is a fraction of the size (of his original appliance), really quiet and a lot more comfortable on my face and nose,? said the San Diego resident, who has used the CPAP nightly for the past eight months. ?It?s not the perfect solution, but it?s a lot better than what it was.?

Until just a few years ago, sleep apnea was considered mostly a nuisance. The most conspicuous symptom was loud snoring, which seemed more bothersome to the sleep partner than the snorer. However, in recent years sleep apnea has emerged as a serious threat to health and longevity. Research has linked it to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, sexual dysfunction and cognitive impairment.

There are two kinds of sleep apnea. The most common, obstructive sleep apnea, occurs when the tongue and soft palette relax against the back of the throat, blocking the airway. The collapse in the throat causes pauses in breathing, sometimes occurring dozens of times per hour, and often lasting 30 to 45 seconds per interruption.

When a blocked airway prevents oxygen from entering the body, blood vessels constrict and blood pressure rises as much as 25 percent to 30 percent, doctors say. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system to make people wake up also increases the heart rate and blood pressure. What?s more, sleep apnea causes hormone levels to change in a way that reduces the effectiveness of insulin, leading to higher blood sugar and potentially diabetes.

Most people who have sleep apnea are unaware of these nighttime disruptions. Loud snoring and extreme daytime drowsiness are the usual symptoms of untreated obstructive sleep apnea.

The other type of sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, is a less common disorder. It results from weak signals from the brain to the diaphragm that draws air into the lungs when it contracts. It can be caused by congestive heart failure, stroke, brain damage, drugs and other problems.

The incidence of sleep apnea rises with age and can occur in men, women and children, but is more common in men. One out of 25 middle-aged men and one out of 50 middle-aged women have sleep apnea, but after menopause the prevalence in women rises steeply. It?s estimated that 3 percent of children have the sleep disorder.

Sleep apnea is more common in African Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders than in Caucasians. And, if someone in your family has sleep apnea, you?re more likely to develop it than someone without a family history of the condition.

To diagnose sleep apnea, people are usually asked to stay overnight at a hospital sleep center to be studied. During that time, heart rate, oxygen saturation, brain waves, arousals and breathing movements are measured.

R.J. Ignelzi

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGDHXxcYARx0wmK492CsNOxYOZZug&url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan/24/laying-risky-sleep-to-rest/

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEhMIvMFN-dMJ-fyCVHkey2xQEUww&url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/dolphins-talk-in-their-sl_n_1227011.html

Jan 24, 2012 10:17:12 PM

Dolphins Mimic Whale Song During Sleep, French Scientists Say - Huffington Post

By: Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
Published: 01/23/2012 04:41 PM EST on LiveScience

A group of five captive dolphins in France have been recorded making whale-like noises late at night ? despite the fact that they have only heard whale sounds as recordings during their daytime dolphin shows.

If the sounds are confirmed to be mimicking whales, it would be the first example of dolphins "saving up" a sound to practice later. And since the whale sounds are only uttered at night, it's possible the whale sounds are a dolphin version of sleep-talking.

The dolphins, all of whom were born in captivity, have never had the opportunity to hear a whale sing except on the soundtrack to their daily shows at the French aquatic park Planète Sauvage. Amid music, bird cries and other marine sounds, that 21-minute soundtrack features a couple of minutes of whale song.

The dolphins have never been heard mimicking that whale song during or after shows, but when researchers recorded all of the dolphin vocalizations for nine days and eight nights between November 2008 and May 2009, they heard 25 instances of dolphin sounds never heard before. Though rare ? about 1 percent of all the dolphin noises recorded ? the sounds sounded strikingly like whale calls. These strange sounds occurred only at night during dolphin "rest periods," mostly between midnight and 3 a.m.

To make sure they weren't hearing things, the researchers played slowed-down and regular-speed audio of the calls to 20 volunteers, along with regular dolphin whistles, slowed-down dolphin whistles, and real whale songs. They found that the volunteers correctly identified dolphin whistles as dolphin whistles and whale song as whale song 88 percent to 99 percent of the time. But 72 percent of the time, the listeners misconstrued the dolphin's whale-like whistles as real whale song. [Listen to dolphin's sleep-talk]

Dolphins, like birds, are known copy-cats, but their mimicry has always been confined to the time right after hearing an odd sound, at least as far as anyone knew. The Planète Sauvage dolphins, however, only make the whale sounds at night, most likely when they're sleeping or at least resting. This suggests that they could be rehearsing their daily shows in their minds at night, the researchers reported online in the journal Frontiers in Comparative Psychology Dec. 29, 2011. It's possible the dolphins are even asleep as they make the whale-like noises, meaning they are essentially sleep-talking in 'whale.'

The recordings are "the first report of mimicries of sounds heard during special events produced by dolphins in a resting/sleeping context," the researchers wrote in the journal. "This finding opens very large perspectives for future investigations on dolphin learning processes and 'mental representations.'"

You can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEWzaaa5cFDrNYHFo24KvqRpCROAQ&url=http://www.click2houston.com/news/Dr-Oz-wants-to-help-you-sleep-better/-/1735978/8487304/-/9bjpnv/-/

Jan 24, 2012 6:17:09 AM

01/23/2012

Dr. Oz wants to help you sleep better - KPRC Houston

iStock image

HOUSTON -

This year, Dr. Mehmet Oz is on a mission to help you sleep better in 2012.

The good doctor said half of all Americans have occasional insomnia. Some 15 percent are plagued by chronic sleeplessness.

Surgeon and talk show host Dr. Oz knows about insomnia -- he's suffered from it himself. It can affect your energy, immunity and even your job.

Founding Partner of Altus Zerenity Sleep Center Cruize Gaj told Local 2, "You have firemen, policemen, people that we respect and we know that they're doing the best they can, but if they don't get a good night's sleep and they're not as productive or not as alert as they should be, they can also put their lives in danger."

Those with chronic sleep issues come to the Zerenity Sleep Center to find out why and what can be done about it.

Sleep Manager Stephanie Ponce told Local 2, "They suffer from fatigue in the mornings, morning headaches, they just can't sleep at all."

Studies have shown that people who sleep less than six hours a night have a 50 percent higher risk of viral infections. Your risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's and obesity are higher. Some say it can even shorten your life expectancy.

Gaj explained, "You're putting all this money in vitamins or antibiotics and you're not really getting the full affect because you're cheating yourself -- you're not getting a good night's sleep."

Ponce said if patients are diagnosed with sleep apnea, a sleep disorder where you stop breathing for 10 seconds or more, treatment like CPAP breathing machines can not only help you sleep more soundly, but can impact overall health.

Ponce said, "A lot of these patients are recommended stay on a diet exercise more and they have that energy to exercise more."

Gaj added, "We're able to help them and help them understand what they have to go to make them better and get back into a good sleep pattern and get back into society and just feel good about themselves."

If you answer yes to three or more of the following questions, tell your doctor today.

I have been told that I snore.
I have been told that I stop breathing when I sleep.
I am always sleepy during the day even though I sleep throughout the night.
I have high blood pressure and/or diabetes.
I have been told that I sleep restlessly. I'm always "tossing" and "turning" while I sleep.
I tend to sweat excessively during my sleep.
I frequently awaken with headaches.
I tend to fall asleep in inappropriate situations.
Others have noticed a recent change in my personality.
I am overweight.

Questionnaire is courtesy of Altus Zerenity Sleep Center.

Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEVONNdETdGhnrmfSvwlQXxSd1j6g&url=http://jezebel.com/5878334/to-cuddle-or-sleep-what-the-hell-are-we-supposed-to-do-after-sex

Jan 23, 2012 2:17:11 PM

01/22/2012

To Cuddle or Sleep, What the Hell Are We Supposed to Do After Sex? - Jezebel

To Cuddle or Sleep, What the Hell Are We Supposed to Do After Sex?
Depending on the circumstances, falling asleep first after sex can be a gamble. You don't want to seem rude and refuse to snuggle, but also you are tired. And if you're not yet on a let-it-all-hang-out basis, you might be paranoid that if you fall asleep and start drooling, your efforts to seem suave and mysterious will be dashed. Or, if you've just slept with your live-in partner and there is only one slice of that delicious pie left in the fridge, falling asleep first can mean that sneaky bastard will go down there while you're blissfully passed out and eat the last of it. See? It is a complex game with serious consequences.

That must be why some evolutionary psychologists at University of Michigan and Pennsylavnia's Albright College decided to study after-sex sleeping behaviors and what they mean. Interestingly, they found a relationship between how quickly a person falls asleep after sex and how much desire their partner has to bond with them. They surveyed 456 people about their experiences and desires after sex, including who fell asleep first after sex and who fell asleep first when the couple went to bed but did not have sex. Lead author of the study, Daniel Kruger, explains the findings, "The more one's partner was likely to fall asleep after sex, the stronger the desire for bonding."

So basically people whose sexual partners drifted off first were left sitting awake wanting to cuddle and chit-chat. It works as a sort of the "leave them wanting more" method of post-coital gamesmanship. Though researchers explained that it could also be that people fell asleep as a subconscious way of avoiding talking about commitment. Yikes! That seems awfully crafty?isn't it just as likely that the person simply had a long day at work and was not trying to engage in some kind of evolutionary mind fuck? I guess that's for you to determine on a case-by-case basis.

One good piece of news in terms of tired stereotypes: The study looked at whether men or women were more likely to fall asleep after sex, and, in a dramatic reversal of every "man passes out immediately after disengaging from woman" scene in romantic comedies, researchers actually found that it was not any more common for men to fall asleep first than women. Hurray for equality! And actually women were more likely to fall asleep first when no sex was being had. One kind of sad sounding reason for that? Men might be staying awake in an attempt to get their partner to have sex?but are only rewarded with delicate snores from the other side of the bed. Alas, somebody has to be the one to close their eyes first.

Sleep Vs. Cuddling: Study Looks at What Happens After Sex [ScienceDaily]

Image via Stephanie Swartz/Shutterstock.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFtMmOhtKK7-xra7-o5dP_5Jk5iSw&url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2012/01/do-you-have-trouble-sleeping.html

Jan 22, 2012 10:17:10 PM

Do you have trouble sleeping? - CBC.ca

Insomnia can occur on its own or with another medical ailment such as pain or a psychiatric disorder like depression (iStock).

If you spend your nights tossing and turning -- and your days fighting off fatigue -- you may be among thousands suffering from untreated insomnia.

A new report highlights just how common it is to be among the sleepless, a population at higher risk of anxiety, depression and heart failure.

About a quarter of adults have sleeping problems and an estimated six to 10 per cent have an insomnia disorder, according to a paper by Laval University's Charles Morin and Ruth Benca from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The researchers identified several common traits displayed by people with insomnia:

Difficulty falling or staying asleep.
A lack of restorative sleep.
Daytime symptoms such as fatigue, trouble concentrating, and mood disturbances.

The authors said more needs to be done to diagnose and treat sleep problems early on.

But some of the most commonly prescribed drugs such as antidepressants and antihistamines have yet to be approved for treating insomnia, and there's little evidence about which drugs work best, they noted.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, however, is increasingly accessible outside clinical settings through telephone consultations, group therapy and on the internet.

"There is an urgent need for more public education about sleep and broader dissemination of evidence-based therapies for insomnia," Morin and Benca concluded in their paper, which appeared in Friday's Lancet.

Have you experienced trouble sleeping or insomnia? Has sleeplessness had a serious impact on your life? Let us know the details in the comments section or email us your story at yourvoice@cbc.ca.

(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEbzYdVgwcACebB6u1xdQ_GVvk66Q&url=http://www.kasa.com/dpps/news/news_health/lack-of-sleep-leads-to-health-problems-dr_4046310

Jan 22, 2012 6:17:17 AM

01/21/2012

Lack of sleep leads to health problems - KASA

Updated: Friday, 20 Jan 2012, 10:12 AM MST
Published : Friday, 20 Jan 2012, 10:12 AM MST

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - It seems many of us can't seem to catch up on or get enough sleep these days and sleep experts say, this could be hurting us in a number of ways.

"I think the economy does have an impact on people's stress levels obviously and a lot of people are working two jobs or are trying to go to school and improve themselves and get ahead," says Dr. John Doggett from the New Mexico Center for Sleep Medicine. "Unfortunately when we're sleep deprived as a result of working too hard or too many hours then it starts to have negative impacts on our performance and our health."

Dr. Doggett says when you're over stimulating the mind with gadgets like phones and computers, it could make it much harder for your brain to unwind and relax. That in turn doesn't allow you to fall asleep and sleep deeply."

"I don't have a TV in my room which sort of helps with things," says UNM student Lexi Palmer. "But there's the laptop, the cell phone and the iPod, lots of different things."

"There's a much higher risk of having car accidents, there's a higher risk of being inefficient or not as productive at work," says Dr. Doggett. "You're more likely to develop health problems like weight gain and so sleep deprivation does have some effects on everyone."

For the average adult, seven to eight hours of sleep will suffice, but doctors say younger people do need more.

"You have to take some time to unwind and relax before bed," says Dr. Doggett. "You need to reserve the bed as a quiet place where you'll relax and not take work there, not take problems there."

If you feel you have serious problems with your sleeping patterns and they may be affecting your health, it may be time to talk with a doctor.

PHOTOS: The Evolution of Film Vampires

Jan 21, 2012 2:17:09 PM

01/20/2012

Sleep-inducing is a better description for this by-the-numbers sequel. - Hollywood Reporter

Underworld Awakening Kate Beckinsale Fire - H 2012

Screen Gems

The Bottom Line

Sleep-inducing is a better description for this by-the-numbers sequel.

Opens

Jan. 20 (Screen Gems)

Cast

Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley

Directors

Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein

The fourth entry in this profitable B-movie series helpfully brings its viewers up to speed with a quick recap of the first two movies (conveniently skipping the third, which star Kate Beckinsale sat out). The comely British actress ? who also can be seen in theaters now as the wife-in-peril in Contraband ? has returned to once again don the skintight black latex outfit that is these films? biggest draw to fanboys. More aggressively violent and thankfully less mythology-driven than previous installments, Underworld: Awakening is strictly for the converted.

This film begins with vampiress Selene waking up after being in a cryogenically frozen state for 12 years, a convincing plot element since the 38-year-old actress doesn?t seem to have aged a day. Apparently we humans have gotten hip to the preponderance of Lycans ? werewolves, to the uninitiated ? and bloodsuckers in our midst and have made determined efforts to eradicate them.

Busting out of the lab, Selene takes no prisoners. Indeed, the character seems even more ruthlessly violent and murderous than in the previous films, perhaps the result of having been rudely awakened from a nice long nap.

Accompanied by a hunky vampire (Theo James) and a young woman (India Eisley) awakened from a similarly frozen state, Selene finds herself in an endless series of violent battles with both humans and Lycans ? who are, in many cases, one and the same. Along the way, a sympathetic cop (Michael Ealy) tries to help out, with unfortunate results.

VIDEO: Kate Beckinsale's 'Underworld: Awakening': 5 New Clips Released

The actress goes through her energetic paces and an awful lot of wire work with the requisite athleticism and steely facial expressions. When she?s not actually fighting, her performance consists of little more than striding purposefully toward or away from the camera: ?I?m not good with feelings,? Selene accurately points out.

Swedish directors Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein ? they?re billed by just their last names in the credits, which admittedly looks cooler ? keep the pace frenetic enough that the film clocks in at just 89 minutes. This is the first of the series to be done in 3D but ? considering the monochromatic, blue-gray palette, the frenzied editing and the general darkness ? it results only in making the proceedings harder to see in an additional dimension.

As is customary for the series, there are veteran British actors on hand to pick up a quick paycheck. Here, replacing such predecessors as Bill Nighy and Derek Jacobi, are Stephen Rea as an evil scientist and Charles Dance as the head of a vampire coven. Both look despondent that they no longer have any Harry Potter movies to provide an alternative form of financial security.

Opens: Jan. 20 (Screen Gems)
Production: Lakeshore Entertainment, Sketch Films
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley, Charles Dance
Directors: Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein
Screenwriters: Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski, Allison Burnett
Producers: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Len Wiseman, Richard Wright
Executive producers: David Kern, James McQuaide, David Coatsworth, Eric Reed, Skip Williamson, Henry Winterstern
Director of photography: Scott Kevan
Production designer: Claude Pare
Editor: Jeff McEvoy
Costume designer: Monique Prudhomme
Music: Paul Haslinger
Rated R, 89 min.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNF58iHOKJDPa3ZhXTg4qS23RKX4gg&url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/underworld-awakening-review-kate-beckinsale-283605

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFRxCGOQH0S5yRO2awDitf3RhMivA&url=http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/AnxietyStress/30756

Jan 20, 2012 10:17:11 PM

Sleep May Intensify Disturbing Memories - MedPage Today

A person's emotional response to an unsettling or traumatic event may actually be heightened by sleep, according to the results of a polysomnography study.

There was a better memory of negative pictures in the group that was exposed to them just before sleep (F=20.87, P<0.001) and no significant interaction in the group x emotional response interaction (F=0.99, P=0.32), reported Rebecca M.C. Spence, PhD, and colleagues from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Recent studies have shown that sleep is an important aspect of consolidation of memories. The authors wanted to investigate how memory processing may relate to changes in emotional reactivity during sleep.

Action Points

Explain that a person's emotional response to an unsettling or traumatic event may be heightened by sleep.
Point out that those with more REM sleep had less attenuation of negative pictures.

They enrolled 68 female and 38 males, ages 18 to 30. Participants were shown pictures on a computer and they rated each one on a scale of 1 to 9 for emotional response (happy/sad) and a similar scale for arousal (calm/excited).

Twelve hours later, subjects were shown a second set of pictures with a mix of photos they had already seen and ones that were new to them. They were asked to rate them and also indicate if they had ever seen the picture before.

Sessions were timed so that one group saw the first set of pictures late in the day and the second set after they had slept overnight (sleep group). Another group saw the pictures in the morning and had the second session 12 hours later after staying awake the entire time (wake group).

To control for possible differences related to circadian rhythm, 24 people followed the same routine with the second exposure only 45 minutes later. Twenty-five of the subjects in the sleep group underwent in-home polysomnography.

When the researchers calculated the ANOVA for changes in emotional response (valence), the ?valence for negative pictures was higher in the wake group (mean=0.65, SEM=0.09) compared with the sleep group (mean=0.39, SEM=0.07) indicating that initial negative ratings became more neutral if the person stayed awake after the initial exposure. Both the sleep and wake groups had similar ?valence for the neutral pictures.

Arousal ratings for negative pictures were lessened in the wake group (mean ?arousal -1.17, SEM=0.27) when compared with those who slept between exposures (mean ?arousal -0.60, SEM=0.18). This measure for neutral pictures was reduced more over wake (mean ?arousal= -0.22, SEM=0.21) than in sleep (mean ?arousal= -0.15, SEM= 0.12). However, neither the effect of group (F=1.51, P=0.22) nor the group x valence interaction (F=1.29, P=0.25) reached significance.

When the researchers looked at whether changes in memory were associated with changes in emotional reactivity while sleeping, ?valence did not correlate with the hit rate for negative pictures in the wake group (r=0.25, P=0.19) or the sleep group (r=-0.096, P=0.49). The same held true for neutral pictures.

Although late-night rapid eye movement (REM) sleep had been thought to be critical to emotional memory consolidation, there were no significant relationships found between hit rate for negative pictures, ?valence, or ?arousal. Those with more REM sleep had less attenuation of negative pictures. Protection of emotional reactivity was associated with greater time in REM sleep.

"With an incident recognition memory task using picture stimuli, we demonstrate that a period of sleep is associated with better memory and less attenuation of reactivity for negative pictures," the authors wrote. "By maintaining the negative tone of strengthened memory trace, the individual will not only remember the emotional event but also the degree of threat associated with it."

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The authors report no financial conflicts of interest.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health

Jan 20, 2012 6:17:08 AM

01/19/2012

Lack of sleep could hurt diet - ABC7Chicago.com

Redirect Notice

Redirect Notice

The previous page is sending you to

If you do not want to visit that page, you can return to the previous page.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFa8QiAOfkVvocPstCsUikeRQ5rWA&url=http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health&id=8511310

Marriott International Inc. Cl A

Jan 19, 2012 2:17:13 PM

01/18/2012

Cars Sleep Free This Winter With Hotel Deals in Bethesda, MD - MarketWatch (press release)

BETHESDA, MD, Jan 18, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- If you want to sightsee in and around the Washington, DC area, come stay the night with hotels in Montgomery County, MD and discover convenience without the additional costs. This winter, plan your getaway to the Bethesda Marriott Suites and enjoy complimentary parking during your stay.

The Rockville, Maryland hotel's Cars Sleep Free package includes deluxe suite accommodations and self parking with rates from $114. The Cars Sleep Free package is available Thursday through Sunday when guests stay over a Friday or Saturday night now through March 30, 2012.

Discover spacious lodging in Bethesda, MD just minutes from the National Zoo and downtown DC, providing the perfect home base for explorations around our nation's capitol. Additionally the Bethesda hotel features a heated indoor pool which is a great place to relax and unwind after a day of sightseeing.

To make a reservation, call 301-897-5600 or visit http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-deals/wassb-bethesda-marriott-suites/ and be sure to use promotional code PSF.

About The Bethesda Marriott Suites The Bethesda Marriott Suites features a state-of-the-art fitness center, heated indoor pool, whirlpool, and jogging fitness trail. The Lobby Lounge serves Starbuck's coffee and you can dine for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in the Democracy Grille. Discover 5,000 sq ft of sophisticated event space including 11 Bethesda meeting rooms, providing the perfect place for your next business event. Located just 20 minutes from downtown Washington, DC, the Bethesda Marriott Suites features gracious hospitality and comfort in a sophisticated urban setting. Guests can enjoy a complimentary shuttle to the Metro and the hotel is also convenient to I-270, the I-495 Beltway, the DC Metro, Reagan National Airport, Dulles Airport and BWI Airport. For additional information, call 301-897-5600 or visit www.bethesdamarriottsuites.com .

Visit Marriott International, Inc /quotes/zigman/213258/quotes/nls/mar MAR +0.92% for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com , and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com .

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1859003

                    Press Contact:         Jane Coloccia         JC Communications, LLC         609-737-2587         Email Contact

SOURCE: Marriott International

     http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/emailprcntct?id=B27661C5A6551F71

/quotes/zigman/213258/quotes/nls/mar

Volume: 5.25M

Jan. 18, 2012 4:00p

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFdmM4rCfB9SFvyZoXeyPChzbStAQ&url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cars-sleep-free-this-winter-with-hotel-deals-in-bethesda-md-2012-01-18

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHe_z9F74GiqX4UuTrJIx0AbVISDg&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Sleep-shuts-out-emotional-memories/articleshow/11536552.cms

Jan 18, 2012 10:17:12 PM

Sleep shuts out emotional memories - Times of India

SHARE
AND
DISCUSS

Sleep shuts out emotional memories (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

Sleep helps the brain to protect emotional memories, suggest researchers.

Sleep researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have for the first time suggested that a person's emotional response after witnessing an unsettling picture or traumatic event is greatly reduced if the person stays awake afterward, and that sleep strongly "protects" the negative emotional response.

Further, if the unsettling picture is viewed again or a flashback memory occurs, it will be just as upsetting as the first time for those who have slept after viewing compared to those who have not.

UMass Amherst neuroscientists Rebecca Spencer, Bengi Baran and colleagues say this response could make sense from an evolutionary point of view, because it would provide survival value to our ancestors by preserving very negative emotions and memories of life-threatening situations and a strong to incentive to avoid similar occasions in the future.

"Today, our findings have significance for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, for example, or those asked to give eye-witness testimony in court cases," Spencer said.

"We found that if you see something disturbing, let's say an accident scene, and then you have a flashback or you're asked to look at a picture of the same scene later, your emotional response is greatly reduced, that is you'll find the scene far less upsetting, if you stayed awake after the original event than if you slept.

"It's interesting to note that it is common to be sleep-deprived after witnessing a traumatic scene, almost as if your brain doesn't want to sleep on it," she stated.

In their experiments involving 68 healthy female and 38 male (total 106) young adults between 18 and 30 years old, Spencer and colleagues set out to explore, among other ideas, an assumption that the well-known enhancement of memory that occurs during sleep is tied to a change in emotional response to the memory.

Further, in a subset of subjects the neuroscientists used a polysomnograph with electrodes attached to subjects' scalps as they slept, to investigate whether dreaming or other brain processes that occur during rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep periods may play a role in the processing of emotions.

In the two-phase experiment, participants were shown pictures on a computer screen and asked to rate each one as sad or happy as well as their own response as calm or excited to each, on a scale of 1-9.

Twelve hours later, participants were shown a mix of new and already viewed pictures and asked whether they had ever seen the picture before and to rate each again on the two scales.

Spencer and colleagues found that sleep had significant effects on participants' memories and feelings. Recognition memory for the pictures was better following sleep compared with wake.

Importantly, the researchers found that contrary to previous assumptions that sleep might soften negative emotional effects of a disturbing event, a period of sleep was associated with participants' maintaining the strength of their initial negative feelings compared to a period of wakefulness.

This suggests that sleep's effect on memory and emotion are independent, the authors stated.

The study is reported in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

? Read more articles by Mark Glover

Jan 18, 2012 6:17:11 AM

01/17/2012

Sleep Train opens new store in Napa - Sacramento Bee

Locally based Sleep Train said today that it has opened a new store in Napa - in Bel Aire Plaza, 1735 Trancas St.

Sleep Train opened a dozen new outlets last year and recently acquired two mattress companies that will enable it to add 20 stores in Washington state and another in Idaho.

In September, Sleep Train acquired Christian's Mattress Xpress, picking up stores in Visalia and Fresno, and a warehouse/outlet store in Fowler. In October, Sleep Train opened a new store in San Bernardino.

Sleep Train has more than 250 outlets throughout the West, with about 60 percent of those in California.

More details can be seen at www.sleeptrain.com, or call (800) 378-2337.

Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

? Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

? Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

? Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

? Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.

? Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

? Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

? Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

? Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

? Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFU9MhthPhzUF_Sr4Hn1Ms06a5-rQ&url=http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/17/4194463/sleep-train-opens-new-store-in.html

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNH5bxhCARp5R-id_YY0Trq0cjcfsw&url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/tennis/6268181/Fed-express-grants-Wozniacki-beauty-sleep

Jan 17, 2012 2:17:13 PM

01/16/2012

Fed express grants Wozniacki beauty sleep - Stuff.co.nz

Caroline Wozniacki thanked Roger Federer for roaring through his match and allowing her a decent night's sleep after she crushed local hope Anastasia Rodionova 6-2 6-1 at the Australian Open.

Marathon tussles in the night session at Rod Laver Arena on Monday have often left players battling away into the early hours but Federer's straight-sets defeat of qualifier Alex Kudryavtsev meant a relieved Wozniacki could complete her match well before midnight.

"I'm not a morning person," world number one Wozniacki told reporters after silencing the home crowd with a 76-minute victory in the opening round.

"I like to sleep. I like to sleep during the day as well. I like my naps and I feel good in the evening.

"It's great to play the first night match because you know exactly when you're on. Roger did very well ... he always plays the points very fast and there aren't too many long rallies," the Dane added.

Wozniacki, criticised for being number one without a grand slam title to her name, will lose the top ranking if she fails to make the fourth round here.

She at least has no concerns about her fitness after shrugging off a wrist injury she sustained at the Sydney International warmup event.

"It feels better. I was a bit nervous before the match," said Wozniacki. "I didn't know exactly what to expect. I'm very happy about the way I felt out there today."

Dressed in red and oozing menace, the Dane quickly broke her 103rd-ranked opponent's serve and then her spirit as she bullied her from the baseline.

Rodionova cursed and muttered throughout but permitted herself a wry smile as ironic cheers rang out when she held serve to trail 5-1 in the second set.

That proved, however, a brief delay in Wozniacki's march as she served out for victory in the next game, sealing it when the Australian hit the ball long on match-point.

RESULTS

How seeded players fared on Monday at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park (number in parentheses denotes seeding):

Men

First Round

Rafael Nadal (2), Spain, def. Alex Kuznetsov, United States, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.

Roger Federer (3), Switzerland, def. Alexander Kudryavtsev, Russia, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

Tomas Berdych (7), Czech Republic, def. Albert Ramos, Spain, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Mardy Fish (8), United States, def. Gilles Muller, Luxembourg, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

Nicolas Almagro (10), Spain, def. Lukasz Kubot, Poland, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-5.

Juan Martin del Potro (11), Argentina, def. Adrian Mannarino, France, 2-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.

Alexandr Dolgopolov (13), Ukraine, def. Greg Jones, Australia, 1-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.

John Isner (16), United States, def. Benjamin Mitchell, Australia, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (1).

Feliciano Lopez (18), Spain, def. Leonardo Mayer, Argentina, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (2).

Stanislas Wawrinka (21), Switzerland, def. Benoit Paire, France, 6-1, 6-1, 7-5.

Fernando Verdasco (22), Spain, lost to Bernard Tomic, Australia, 4-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 7-5.

Juan Monaco (25), Argentina, lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber, Germany, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-0.

Ivan Ljubicic (28), Croatia, lost to Lukas Lacko, Slovakia, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Kevin Anderson (30), South Africa, def. Frederik Nielsen, Denmark, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

Jurgen Melzer (31), Austria, lost to Ivo Karlovic, Croatia, 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-3.

Women

First Round

Caroline Wozniacki (1), Denmark, def. Anastasia Rodionova, Australia, 6-2, 6-1.

Victoria Azarenka (3), Belarus, def. Heather Watson, Britain, 6-1, 6-0.

Li Na (5), China, def. Ksenia Pervak, Kazakhstan, 6-3, 6-1.

Agnieszka Radwanska (8), Poland, def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-2.

Francesca Schiavone (10), Italy, def. Laura Pous, Spain, 6-1, 6-3.

Kim Clijsters (11), Belgium, def. Maria Joao Koehler, Portugal, 7-5, 6-1.

Jelena Jankovic (13), Serbia, def. Laura Robson, Britain, 6-2, 6-0.

Peng Shuai (16), China, def. Aravane Rezai, France, 6-3, 6-4.

Flavia Pennetta (19), Italy, lost to Nina Bratchikova, Russia, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

Daniela Hantuchova (20), Slovakia, def. Varvara Lepchenko, United States, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Julia Goerges (22), Germany, def. Polona Hercog, Slovenia, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Lucie Safarova (24), Czech Republic, lost to Christina McHale, United States, 6-2, 6-4.

Anabel Medina Garrigues (26), Spain, def. Eva Birnerova, Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-3.

Yanina Wickmayer (28), Belgium, lost to Galina Voskoboeva, Kazakhstan, 7-5, 6-2.

Monica Niculescu (31), Romania, def. Alize Cornet, France, 5-7, 6-0, 6-3.

Petra Cetkovska (32), Czech Republic, def. Ayumi Morita, Japan, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

- Reuters

Email Facebook MySpace Digg StumbleUpon Delicious Reddit Linkedin

Special Home Delivery Offer

Jan 16, 2012 10:17:11 PM

Rev. Jesse Jackson sleeping on floor at shelter - Chicago Sun-Times

ART GOLAB Staff Reporter/agolab@suntimes.com January 15, 2012 9:36PM

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. checks into the Pacific Garden Mission at 1458 S. Canal where he will spend the night speaking and praying with shelter residents. He is staying overnight to highlight poverty issues on the eve of the Martin Luther King Holiday. | Tom Cruze~Sun-Times

storyidforme: 24245109
tmspicid: 8908601
fileheaderid: 4034251

Updated: January 16, 2012 7:57AM

The Rev. Jesse Jackson planned to sleep in a bed in a shelter to put the spotlight on homelessness for Martin Luther King?s birthday, but said he will end up sleeping on the floor because all the beds were taken.

Jackson spoke to reporters outside the Pacific Garden Mission on South Canal Street as homeless men lined up outside in the cold waiting to get in.

?I?m not taking a bed,? Jackson said. ?Instead I?ll be sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag because conditions are such that they need every bed.?

Jackson said that on Monday he will try to revive King?s war on poverty and Poor People?s Campaign, ideas that Jackson said the civil right?s leader discussed with him on King?s last birthday, in 1968.

His birthday is Jan. 15 but the federal holiday commemorating his birth is Monday.

?[King] was preparing to go to Washington to ?occupy? the mall,? Jackson said.

Of his night on the floor, Jackson said, ?If we can somehow dramatize this, maybe we can test the conscience of the state and our city and maybe something will be done about it.?

© 2011 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFxzElZOguGBLGol1nWT1USF6atSw&url=http://www.suntimes.com/10034407-417/rev-jesse-jackson-sleeping-on-floor-at-shelter.html

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHn-rjV8p7DHJwKaDjBv_BmUXTOgw&url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/No-sleep-with-this-Lullaby-30173731.html

Jan 16, 2012 6:17:15 AM

01/15/2012

No sleep with this 'Lullaby' - The Nation

Home » life » No sleep with this 'Lullaby'

Book Review

Marquie Leelatham
Special to The Nation January 16, 2012 1:00 am

No sleep with this 'Lullaby'

Lullaby

By Chuck Palahniuk

Published by Anchor, 2002

Available at Amazon.com, US$11

Reviewed by Marquie Leelatham

Imagine a camera that captures everything and spares no detail, no matter how trivial. That's what Chuck Palahniuk's prose is like in his tragedy-fantasy thriller "Lullaby".

It resembles an effective camera that captures every minor detail of his characters' movements, from the sound of their feet scuffling across the floor to the look of dead corpses lying drenched in blood.

It captures it all, sparing nothing and including everything, in the hands of a literary genius like Palahniuk, with impact, style and poignancy. These are the qualities we all look for in a good novel.

"Lullaby" revolves around a journalist's discovery of a spell that can cull mankind. At first glance it might seem like a straightforward mystery, but don't be fooled, because Palahniuk plunges deep into his main theme - how the mass media that Orwell called "Big Brother" controls our minds and desires.

Despite this theme being deftly explored in dystopian literature (Orwell's "1984", Murakami's "Dance, Dance, Dance" and much more), Palahniuk introduces his own questions, and in doing so compels the reader to question everything we are spoon-fed by the media.

We must question everything we see, hear and even do, ask why we desire what we desire and how the mass media guide our preferences. What precisely does "free will" mean?

Palahniuk explores all of this with prose that photographs every tile in the mosaic, and the result is, of course, nothing less than extraordinary.

However, as we all know, no work of literature is perfect. The one criticism I have of this novel is the occasional lack of fluidity and logic between scenes.

We aren't really given a clue as to why characters do what they do or how they do it. A harsher critic might also complain there are too many loose strands left to the story, but others will say that's just Palahniuk's style. It's his way of getting the reader hooked and begging for more.

If indeed his aim is to get the reader sprawled on the floor, begging for more, he's hit the bull's eye. "Lullaby", even at a mere 200-odd pages, is not a novel you can lay down easily and forget.

It remains imprinted in your memory, nagging at you with the questions it's raised. You do in fact end up questioning your every motive, and begging for more Palahniuk.

This is a novel that's bound to get you hooked, irretrievably and irrevocably.

Latest stories in this category

Who would want to be famous?
Fortune-tellers - who are never wrong, as you know..
Light in the shadows
No sleep with this 'Lullaby'

We Recommend

US advisory is real and Bangkok is specific
US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney on Friday..
Chalerm denies threat of terror
Hezbollah 'calls off attacks'

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEYbhcZWrhHAAPwtZVATBxTamr0bg&url=http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/10598762/

Jan 15, 2012 2:17:11 PM

01/14/2012

Sleep issues in infancy can carry through childhood - WRAL.com

Many parents think that the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep is just a normal part of infancy, but a new study shows early sleep issues carry through to childhood.

Ohio researchers found 10 percent of infants and toddlers have sleep problems at some point including trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, staying in their own beds and having nightmares. They also found that even by age three, 21 percent of children were still not getting a good night's rest.

Dr. Pakkay Ngai, of Hackensack University Medical Center, said children who had sleep problems at 6 months were three times as likely as their peers to have a persistent sleep problem.

The study also showed that more than 12 percent of young children snore, but many parents didn't consider that anything to be concerned about.

"A lot of people equate snoring with getting a good, quality sleep," Ngai said. "But that's actually a sign that there's some turbulence in the way that child breathes, so that's something that needs to be checked out."

Children can suffer from sleep apnea. Some may need their adenoids and tonsils removed to ease their breathing.

Pediatricians say any significant changes in a child's behavior, learning capacity or mood swings can all be signs that your child may not be getting good quality sleep at night.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNExk9q0Ei8O6Lw322I42AQ0LxQ4mA&url=http://uwfootball.sportspressnw.com/?p=2113025

Jan 14, 2012 10:17:12 PM

No sleep for Sarkisian as he switched assistants - Sportspress Northwest

Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian said it was "extremely difficult" to fire his friend, Nick Holt. / Drew Sellers, Sportspress Northwest

Saying he didn?t sleep for the 48 hours prior to filling Washington?s defensive coordinator vacancy Jan. 2 with Justin Wilcox, Huskies football coach Steve Sarkisian said he had to put on his ?CEO hat? to fire his longtime friend Nick Holt.

?It was extremely difficult,? Sarkisian said in a teleconference with reporters Friday during a dead period in recruiting. ?You try to take your personal emotions out of it and do what?s best for the organization. I think the world of Nick Holt as a person and as a coach.

?It just didn?t work out.?

Sarkisian declined to explain the details of Holt?s firing (also fired were linebackers coach Mike Cox and safeties coach Jeff Mills), whether he interviewed others besides Wilcox, and the specifics of salaries for the new coaches.

Wilcox was reported to be making $750,000 in his second year at Tennessee, $100,000 more than was Holt was receiving, a source of some of the heat surrounding Holt and the worst defense statistically in Washington history. In losing 67-56 in the Alamo Bowl, the Huskies gave up 777 yards to Baylor.

The salaries ?are the state of college football, if you want to get a top-tier coordinator,? he said. ?It?s almost the going rate. With the TV money, you see it in head coaching salaries, and it trickles down to the coordinators.?

The final vacancy on the defensive staff, which had no changes for three years until Demetrice Martin left Dec. 14 to join Jim Mora?s new staff at UCLA, will be filled by a line coach ?hopefully sooner than later,? Sarkisian said, although he mentioned patience, which might mean there are candidates from teams in the NFL playoffs.

Media speculation has included Cal Bears assistant Tosh Lupoi, a former Cal player who has developed a big reputation as a recruiter in his six years as a coach. Sarkisian made it sound as if Johnny Nansen, the current line coach, will be spend more time with his other duties as special teams coach and recruiting coordinator.

He said Wilcox and new linebackers coach Peter Sirmon, who were teammates with the Oregon Ducks teams in the late 1990s and coached together at Tennessee, will switch the Huskies defense from a 4-3 alignment under Holt to a 3-4 with defensive ends upright to better pressure the quarterback.

He sounded proud of the fact that Wilcox, who had an offer a year earlier to coach at Texas, chose to return to the Northwest and Washington. Wilcox, son of pro football Hall of Fame member Dave Wilcox of the San Francisco 49ers, went to high school in Junction Ciity, OR. Sirmon grew up in Walla Walla.

?He had a chance to go to other places,? he said, ?so tao have him come back the Northwest speaks volumes about where we are headed and our perception around the country.?

He had no time for Huskies die-hards who question the coaches? Ducks heritage.

?I don?t even care about it, quite honestly,? he said. ?Because I went to BYU, no one?s upset about it. At some point we have to be grown men. I think boosters are more concerned about winning.

?I?m excited about his pedigree. He?s a fantastic football coach. I?ve embraced his personality, his ability to teach and to communicate. He has a wealth of knowledge, and a real sense of energy and excitement. Deep down he?s a Northwest guy; he likes the lifestyle. Ultimately he sees himself as a head coach, and this job hopefully will lead to bigger and better things. We want to give him the opportunity to do that.

?Sirmon is younger, but is a guy who knows (Wilcox?s system) and played seven years in the NFL and knows the Northwest. We couldn?t be more excited.?

Sarkisian also gushed about his new defensive backs coach, Keith Heyward, who played and coached at Oregon State.

?He knows the West Coast really well ? played, coached and recruited in the conference,? he said. ?He went to high school in Los Angeles (Woodland Hills), which is a critical area for us. At Oregon State, he had some players who got to be pretty special.?

In player news, Sarkisian said he will be pursuing a placekicker because Nick Folk was denied another season of eligibility by the Pac-12 eligibility committee. But another year was granted to sophomore-to-be James Sample, a safety injured in the season?s second game, as well as senior tailback Johri Fogerson, a running back.