text:
The Nature of Sleep and its Impact on Health
by Ben Best
CONTENTS: LINKS TO SECTIONS
HEALTH CONDITIONS LEADING TO SLEEP DISTURBANCES
EEG SLEEP PATTERNS
SLEEP AND SLEEPINESS
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS
EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
DREAMING AND REM SLEEP
IMPROVING SLEEP AND COPING WITH SLEEPINESS
THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OF SLEEP
Most of the unreferenced material on this webpage comes from information in the book THE PROMISE OF SLEEP by William C. Dement, MD, PhD. Dr. Dement has devoted his life to sleep research from the time he was a medical student in the 1950s, and is widely regarded as being the world's foremost authority on the subject of sleep.
This article is concerned with the nature of sleep and the impact of sleep upon health. This article is not much concerned with the impact of health conditions upon sleep, although I will give a brief overview of the subject in the next section.
(return to contents)
II. HEALTH CONDITIONS LEADING TO SLEEP DISTURBANCES
People having sleep disturbances due to health conditions may find some useful hints in this article, but they should look elsewhere for detailed information, diagnosis & treatment. Health conditions leading to sleep disturbances are often not recognized by physicians or misdiagnosed. Such conditions are much more apparent in a sleep clinic than they are in a physician's office where the patient is fully awake.
Insomnia is a symptom, not a disease condition itself, although it can indicate a disease condition. Someone extremely worried or excited about events in their life can experience insomnia without suffering from a health condition.
The most common and worrisome medical condition that disturbs sleep is sleep apnea. Snoring is a sign of impaired breathing associated with partial closure of the throat, a condition which can increase with age due to decreasing muscle tension, with obesity as a significant contributing factor. As the condition worsens it leads to complete closure of the throat. The apnea victim suffers temporary suffocation, often for as long as a minute, becomes aroused enough to regain breathing and then falls into deeper sleep. The cycle often repeats many hundreds of times per night without the victim being aware of the condition other than experiencing the effects of sleep deprivation. The victim may adapt to chronic fatigue and sleepiness as being "normal". Automobile accidents, high blood pressure, heart attacks and stroke which are primarily due to sleep apnea are usually wrongly attributed to other causes. Approximately one-quarter of men and about the same proportion of post-menopausal women have some degree of sleep apnea. Not sleeping on one's back can help — some people sew a ping-pong ball onto the back of their pajamas. Mechanical devices or surgery may be the only way to correct the problem.
Some sleep disturbances are regarded as common problems of childhood. An estimated 7% of 9-year-olds occasionally wet their beds. About 15% of children sleepwalk at least once.
Nocturia is defined as interruption of sleep at least twice nightly due to a need to urinate — a common cause of sleep loss among older adults. A 2003 National Sleep Foundation survey found that 65% of respondents between 55 and 84 years of age reported having nocturia at least a few nights per week. (For more information on nocturia, see SLEEPTIONARY/Nocturia.)
Victims of narcolepsy can suffer extreme attacks of daytime sleepiness associated with muscle weakness, often in response to strong emotions. Persistent insomnia is often due to restless leg syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux, fibromyalgia, depression, arthritis or other medical conditions. Menstruation, pregnancy, and "hot flashes" associated with menopause can also disturb sleep.
Although more than half of all people over age 65 experience sleep problems, these disturbances are more often due to medical problems and medication use than due to aging itself [SLEEP; Foley,DJ; 22(Suppl 2):S366-S372 (1999)]. Epidemiological studies indicate that sleeping in excess of 7.5 hours per night is associated with increased mortality, but self-reported sleep-time may simply be time in bed, not actual sleeping [SLEEP MEDICINE REVIEWS; Youngsteadt,SD; 8(3):159-174 (2004)]. Healthy middle-aged volunteers under age 55 were healthier (more resistant to infection) if they slept more than 8 hours per night [ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE; Cohen,S; 169(1):62-67 (2009)].
For more information on sleep disorders, see the American Sleep Apnea Association, the Wikipedia Sleep Disorder page, the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine websites.
III. EEG SLEEP PATTERNS
EEGs when Awake and Asleep
ElectroEncephaloGraph (EEG) recordings of brain waves have defined stages of sleep since the 1950s. In an awakened state a "normal" person's EEG waves are low voltage (small vertical deviation), random and fast (many waves per time period or length of EEG chart). In calm wakefulness with eyes closed the waves become slower (lower frequency — 8 to 10 cycles per second, cps) and are designated alpha waves. The first, very light stage of sleep is called stage 1, characterized by waves that are even slower (3 to 6 cps) which are designated theta waves. Within about 5 minutes the sleeper progresses from stage 1 to stage 2, which is characterized by a theta-wave background punctuated by bursts of high-frequency sleep spindles and high voltage K-complexes. After another 5 or 10 minutes the sleeper enters deep sleep (stages 3 & 4, also known as Slow Wave Sleep, SWS) characterized by very high voltage, low frequency delta waves.
After about an hour the sleeper develops a sleeping EEG pattern that is very similar to the waking-state EEG associated with so-called Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REM Sleep) in which the eyes move under the eyelids. A young adult's first REM sleep will last about ten minutes before re-entry into deep sleep. Cycles of REM-sleep and NREM (Non-REM) sleep continue through a typical 8-hour sleep, with REM-sleep periods becoming progressively longer. A young adult will typically spend 25% of the sleeping period in REM sleep, whereas older adults have less REM sleep. Infants (who typically sleep 16 hours per day) spend about 50% of sleeping time in REM sleep. Near-term fetuses spend 60% to 80% of their sleep time in REM sleep.
Wakefulness, REM sleep and NREM sleep have been described as three distinct states of consciousness. Both REM and NREM sleep probably perform essential functions for brain maintenance because 24-hour wakeful vigilance would seem more conducive to survival. Deprivation of NREM sleep results in far more sleepiness than deprivation of REM sleep. Yet REM sleep must also perform an important function because people deprived of REM sleep, but not NREM sleep, will enter REM sleep almost immediately upon falling asleep rather than after an hour of NREM sleep, as normally happens. REM sleep is usually, but not always, associated with dreaming. People who demonstrate so-called "lucid dreaming" — ie, consciousness of being in a dreaming condition — invariably have their lucid dreams during REM sleep. Voluntary muscles are typically paralyzed during REM sleep, which may protect against dangerous acting-out of dream content. Normal people — even infants — usually have genital tumescence during REM sleep — which is usually not associated with erotic dreams.
Extended periods of REM sleep are only seen in mammals. Dolphins sleep half-a-brain at at time. The short bursts of REM sleep seen in birds do not last much longer than one second. Reptiles and fish do not exhibit REM sleep. The sleep-like behavior of "lower animals" is mainly a resting condition.
IV. SLEEP AND SLEEPINESS
Adenosine TriPhosphate (ATP) provides the brain with energy, but with increasing wakefulness, adenosine without phosphate accumulates, causing sleepiness. Caffeine blocks adenosine action, reducing sleepiness while also impeding learning and memory [BEHAVIORAL BRAIN RESEARCH; 193:79 (2008)]. Sleepiness — the craving for sleep — can be compared to hunger and thirst. There is a general correlation between the time since last eating, drinking or sleeping and the amount of hunger, thirst or sleepiness. After a certain period of time without sustenance the demands of depravation can become increasingly intense, but these demands can come-and-go. Moments of increasingly distracting discomfort occur with increasing frequency and intensity as the period of depravation increases.
Both missing large amounts of sleep in a single night and missing small amounts of sleep over many nights can produce and equivalent amount of sleepiness, sleep deprivation or "sleep debt". Even when the degradation of cognitive and physical performance are the same for both forms of deprivation, the subject is more conscious of the sleepiness or deprivation from a single episode. A study of 48 healthy adults (ages 21−38) subjected to either total sleep deprivation for 2 nights or to chronic sleep deprivation of less than 6 hours per night for 14 days showed comparable cognitive performance deficits in the two groups, but only the first group reported intense feelings of sleepiness [SLEEP; Van Dongen,HP; 26(2):117-126 (2003)]. A psychological adaptation to sleep debt occurs when it accumulates in an incremental fashion over a more extended period — which makes it more dangerous. Most people have a chronic sleep debt without being aware of it. They have adapted, and believe that they are experiencing normalcy. Mood is more worsened by sleep debt than performance, with sleep-deprived people being more negative, depressed & irritable while experiencing less enjoyment of life. Sleep deprivation has been shown to affect risky behavior by decreasing avoidance of losses and increasing seeking of gains [JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE; Venkatraman,v; 31(10:3712-3718 (2011)].
A Gallop poll indicated that nearly a third of respondents remember falling asleep while driving an automobile. People often have "microsleeps" without being aware of them. Automobile accidents due to such incidents are typically unexplained or attributed to other causes. Clearly people with sleep debt can be a danger to others as well as themselves. In an anonymous survey at a San Francisco hospital over 40% of respondents admitted to killing at least one patient due to a fatigue-related mistake.
Dr. Dement discovered a means of objectively quantifying sleepiness (accumulated sleep debt) by observing how long it would take a normal person to fall asleep when lying down with eyes closed in a quiet dark room. People who fell asleep in less than 5 minutes had high levels of sleepiness, whereas people who fell asleep in 15-20 minutes were minimally sleepy. People who remained awake after 20 minutes were awake and alert. (Obviously these measures would not apply to a person in a state of worried emotional distress over a personal crisis.) Dr. Dement found that the ability of his subjects to predict their likelihood of falling asleep was terrible — and he doesn't hesitate to warn of the consequences of people misjudging their capacity for falling asleep at the wheel of an automobile.
Normal adult volunteers allowed to sleep as much as they wanted (and denied any "distractions") typically slept 12-16 hours per day initially and between 7.5 to 9 hours per night after about three weeks — an indication that most people have chronic sleep debt. Just before puberty children need about 10 hours of sleep per night, whereas teenagers need about 9.5 hours. Children usually get the sleep they need, whereas teenagers are far more likely to be sleep-deprived.
A CONSUMER REPORTS survey reported that more than one quarter of respondents took 30 minutes or more to fall asleep, and one quarter awakened in the night and couldn't go back to sleep for at least a half-hour [CONSUMER REPORTS; 73(9):12-15 (2008)].
About half of people between ages 18 and 29 report daytime sleepiness compared to about a third of those over age 30. The sleep requirement for those between age 40 and 65 is estimated to be about 7 hours per night, less than that of younger adults. As people become more elderly their sleeping becomes increasingly fragmented to the point where sleep and wakefulness are spread-out over day & night in extreme old age. Elderly people sleep less deeply and are more easily awakened. Hours spent in bed can be a poor indication of hours slept or quality of sleep.
Shift workers typically get two hours less sleep when sleeping during the daytime because of their need or desire to interact with other people. "Counterclockwise" shift changes involving rotations to the previous shift are more disruptive to sleep than "clockwise" changes to subsequent shifts.
V. CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS
The word circadian comes from the Latin roots circa ("around", "near") and dies ("day"). The circadian rhythm is the rhythm set by a "biological clock" that affects alertness by hormone release over a 24-hour period. Circadian "clocks" have been discovered in a wide variety of organisms as diverse as humans and fruit flies. Human subjects isolated from external time-of-day cues usually settle into a 25-hour daily cycle.
The "circadian clock" in mammals is located in the SupraChiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus, immediately above the crossing of the optic nerves. Light & darkness also strongly influence the release of melatonin. (The decline in melatonin release with senescence is responsible for some of the decline of circadian signaling associated with aging [NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING; Munch,M; 26(9):1307-1319 (2005)].) Circadian arousal and sleep-inducing signals from the SCN can be hormonal and/or neural [JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY; Dijk,D; 92(2):852-862 (2002)]. A notable hormonal effect is an early morning rise in cortisol [HORMONE RESEARCH; Van Cauter,E; 49(3-4):147-152 (1998)]. The circadian clock also influences metabolism & the timing of food intake. Defects in circadian clock genes increase fat mass accumulation & vulnerability to the metabolic syndrome [SCIENCE; Turek,FW; 308:1043-1045 (2005)].
One of the most surprising effects of the circadian rhythm in humans adapted to waking day and sleeping night is an alerting that occurs in the evening. Circadian alerting causes people to be more drowsy in mid-afternoon than in the evening. The effect is stronger for teenagers than for older adults — which means that teenagers are more inclined to be "night owls" who like to sleep-in in the morning. Jet lag is worsened by adjustments required to the circadian rhythm.
VI. EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION ON MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH
Sleep is believed to be a means by which waste products are removed from the space between brain cells [SCIENCE; Herculano-Houzel,S; 342:316-317 (2013) & SCIENCE; Xie,L; 342:373-377 (2013)]. One of those waste products is amyloid-beta, the protein believed to cause Alzheimer's Disease [NATURE; Costandi,M; 497:S19-S20 (2013)].
Healthy adults restricted to less than 5 hours sleep per night have increased insulin resistance and inflammation, an effect which is substantially greater with circadian disruption [DIABETES; 63:1860 (2014))]. Healthy adults who normally sleep less than 7 hours per night were asked to increase their daily time in bed by one hour. After 40 days the subjects showed substantially greater insulin sensitivity [SLEEP; 38:707 (2015)].
Dr. Dement and his colleague observed 18-year-old Randy Gardner set the Guinness world record for time without sleep in 1965. Randy was shaken when he tried to doze and was encouraged to play basketball to stay awake. Toward the end of his 264 hours (11 days) of being awake, Randy became increasingly alert & enlivened by the worldwide media attention he was receiving. His record has remained unbroken for decades, at least in part because ethics committees will not allow sleep scientists to participate in such an ordeal. Dr. Dement observed that although Randy could become very angry in response to being kept awake — and his faculties were clearly impaired — Randy was never in a state that could be called psychotic. Beliefs that sleep deprivation leads to psychosis were at least partially based on the experiences of people who used amphetamines or other drugs to stay awake. Animal experiments on sleep deprivation show no signs of alteration of behavior other than those which would be expected from tiredness.
Alcohol ingestion prior to bed reduces REM sleep — especially in the first half of the night — resulting in impaired memory for recently-learned procedural tasks [SLEEP; Smith,C; 26(2):185-191 (2003)]. Alcohol and sleepiness interact in a way that is far more dangerous than might be expected. Experiments with twelve healthy men in the 20−26 age range showed that either restriction of sleep to 5 hours or a blood alcohol level roughly equal to the United Kingdom limit for automobile driving nearly tripled the number of lane drifting incidents in the 30−60 minute driving period on a driving simulator. Combining both those levels of alcohol with sleep deprivation again nearly tripled the number of lane drifting incidents above that seen for either the alcohol or sleepiness alone. But the reported sleepiness of those who had the alcohol/sleep-deprivation combination was no greater than what was reported by those who had only been sleep deprived [OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE; Horne,JA; 60(9):689-692 (2003)].
At the time of puberty both boys and girls begin producing larger amounts of growth hormone, testosterone, prolactin, FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone) and LH (Leutenizing Hormone), whereas melatonin release declines. Growth hormone is secreted mainly during sleep. Inadequate sleep at puberty can stunt growth, and inappropriate melatonin supplementation can delay puberty.
Depressed patients who miss a night of sleep often feel better due to elevated cortisol, but the benefit is only temporary [AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY; Voderholzer,U; 161(8):1404-1410 (2004)].
Sleep deprivation in rats compromises the immune system, allowing bacterial overgrowth to cause fatal septicemia [AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY; Everson,CA; 278(4):R905-R916 (2000)]. Sleep deprivation in rats causes an increase in leukocytosis & inflammatory cytokines, which can be quickly reversed by sleep [AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY; Everson,CA; 289(4):R1054-R0163 (2005)]. In healthy volunteers, sleep deprivation increased the level of pro-inflammatory C-reactive protein in a linear, dose-dependent manner [JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY; Meier-Ewert,HK; 43(4):678-683 (2004)].
Cytokine elevation due to sleep deprivation can facilitate viral entry into cells, an effect that can be alleviated by napping [THE JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY; Shearer,WT; 107(1):165-170 (2001)]. Sleep deprivation in humans has been shown to impair the effectiveness of influenza vaccination [JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION; Spiegel,K; 288(12):1471-1472 (2002)]. Viral infections increase interferon (IFN−α) production. Impaired sleep due to IFN−α can can create a viscious cycle of compromised immune defense and sleep deprivation [CYTOKINE; Spath-Schwalbe,E; 12(5):518-521 (2001)]. Healthy middle-aged volunteers subjected to cold virus were about 3 times more likely to become infected if they slept less than 7 hours per night [ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE; Cohen,S; 169(1):62-67 (2009)].
A study of 12 healthy men in the 20−24 year age range showed that 2 days with 4 hours sleep per night resulted in a 33−45% appetite increase for calorie-dense foods having high carbohydrate content. This change was associated with an 18% decrease in the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin and a 28% increase in the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin [ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE; Spiegel,K; 141(11):846-850 (2004)]. Adults reporting 5-6 hours of sleep per night had twice the incidence of impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes as those reporting 7-8 hours of sleep [DIABETOLOGIA; Chaput,J; 50(11):2298-2304 (2007)]. Sleep restriction increases serum cortisol while decreasing serum leptin and insulin sensitivity, resulting in increased appetite [ENDOCRINE DEVELOPMENT; Leproult,R; 17:11-21 (2010)]. Overweight middle-aged volunteers subjected to two weeks of sleep deprivation (5.5 of sleep opportunity per night) and calorie restriction lost 55% less fat and 60% more fat-free mass [ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE; Nedeltcheva,AV; 153(7):435-441 (2010)]. Healthy young men (aged 20-35) subjected to one week of sleep deprivation (5 of sleep opportunity per night) showed an approximate 10% reduction in insulin sensitivity (increase in insulin resistance) [DIABETES; Buxton,OM; 59(9):2126-2133 (2010)]. When sleepiness contributes to overeating, obesity and overweight, it constitutes a health hazard. According to the World Health Organization's 2002 World Health Report a body weight index over 21 kg/m2 is causative of 58% of type 2 diabetes cases, 21% of ischemic heart disease and 8−42% of certain cancers. Short sleep is risk factor for weight gain, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Sleep on work-days and free-days
A large epidemiological study found that the diffence between the amount of sleeping that occurred during workdays (or schooldays) and free days ("social jetlag") was greatest in late adolescence, and declined toward age 60. More than two-thirds of the participants experienced at least one hour of "social jetlag", whereas a third of participants experienced more than two houors of "social jetlag" per day [CURRENT BIOLOGY; Roennebert,T; 22(10):939-943 (2012)]. Every hour of "social jetlag" increased the chance of being overweight or obese by one-third [Ibid.]. A trend of increasing "social jetlag" between 2002 and 2010 (amounting to about one hour) has been attributed to contributing to the "obesity epidemic" [Ibid.].
Epidemiological studies often show a U-shaped association between sleep and mortality (cardiovacular mortality and all-cause mortality), with the optimum amount of sleep being 7 or 8 hours. Over a five-year period, a decrease in sleep from the optimum has been associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, whereas an increase in sleep from the optimum has been associated with increased non-cardiovascular mortality [SLEEP; Ferrie,JD; 30(12):1659-1666 (2007)].
In 1960 the average sleep duration in the USA was estimated to be 8.5 hours, but 50 years later sleep duration had dropped 1.5-2 hours per night — which has been seen as contributing to an increase in obesity and diabetes [ENDOCRINE DEVELOPMENT; Leproult,R; 17:11-21 (2010)].
VII. DREAMING AND REM SLEEP
From ancient times dreams have been regarded as prophecies, and there have been persons who specialized in interpreting dreams. Many scientists & artists have been inspired by their own dreams. It is not uncommon for people to have had dreams which have affected major life decisions.
Sigmund Freud's 1905 book THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS postulated that dreams are an outlet for repressed, forbidden feelings — and that interpreting dreams provides insights into the subconscious which can facilitate psychotherapy. Although many of Freud's theories have lost scientific credibility, it is still probably true that the study of dreaming can provide insight into the anatomical/physiological basis of mind.
Sleepwalking does not occur during REM sleep because the muscles of posture & movement are in a state of paralysis — there is an absence of muscle tone. If REM sleep is accompanied by vivid, emotional dreams it would be counter-productive and dangerous to physically act-out participation. Occasionally people can begin awakening while still in the paralytic, hallucinating REM state and have a nightmarish experience of terrifying helplessness.
About 50% of infant sleeping is REM, declining to adult levels of 20-25% between the ages of 3 to 5. Although dreaming is mostly associated with REM sleep, NREM "dreaming" is less hallucinatory & visual, and more thought-like & fragmentary. Areas of the brain associated with arousal (thalamus & limbic system) are activated in REM sleep, whereas areas associated with executive function (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) are deactivated in REM sleep [SEMINARS IN NEUROLOGY; Eiser,AS; 25(1):97-105 (2005)].
Some scientists have come to the conclusion that REM sleep is important for consolidation of procedural learning (learning to tie a shoe), but not declarative learning (learning the name of the capital of Latvia). Adjacent articles in the journal SCIENCE argue for and against the REM memory consolidation hypothesis [SCIENCE 294:1052-1058 versus 294:1058-1063 (2001)]. Sleep initiated with ethyl alcohol has been shown to reduce both REM sleep and procedural learning consolidation [SLEEP 26(2):185-191 (2003)]. All mammals (and perhaps all birds) studied display both non-REM and REM sleep, yet there is no correlation between brain size, learning rate, sleep time or REM sleep between species [SCIENCE; Siegel,JM; 294:1058-1063 (2001)]. Sleep in most mammals is more fragmented than human sleep during a 24-hour period, whereas human sleep is monophasic and of long duration.
24-HOUR SLEEP TIME FOR SELECTED MAMMALS
TOTAL SLEEP TIME
REM SLEEP TIME
Opossum 18 hours 0.5 hours
Platypus 14 hours 8 hours
Dolphin 10 hours 0.2 hours
Guinea pig 9.5 hours 1 hour
Human 8 hours 2 hours
Sheep 5.9 hours 0.6 hours
Horse 3 hours 0.5 hours
Little is known concerning what a guinea pig dreams — if it dreams. And little is known about why sleep is necessary for mammals — which greatly increases potential vulnerability to predators.
One of the most prominent theories about the function of REM sleep is that it facilitates the assimilation of new memories and experiences. Animal studies have indicated an increase in REM sleep after training, and have also indicated deceased memory when REM sleep is deprived.
Sleep is now being studied in fruit flies and nematodes, despite the fact that these organisms do not display EEG patterns. They do, however, exhibit periods of dormancy, and show signs of sleep deprivation if not allowed their periods of dormancy [SCIENCE; Youngsteadt,E; 321:334-337 (2008)]. A gene mutation in mammals which causes less need for sleep is associated with a greater need for REM sleep [SCIENCE; He,Y; 325:866-870 (2009)].
VIII. IMPROVING SLEEP AND COPING WITH SLEEPINESS
Over the last century electric lights, all-night groceries and increasingly stimulating activities/entertainment have contributed to reducing the amount of time people spend sleeping. Average sleep per night in the United States may have declined as much as two hours since the year 1900. Driven by a desire to accomplish more or to experience more, people often discount the value of sleep by postponing going to bed to check e-mail, do more tasks or enjoy extra entertainment. Adhering to a regular bedtime and avoiding stimulating activities before retiring is often a means of improving sleep.
Most people use coffee, tea or soda-pop to maintain wakefulness through the day. The half-life of caffeine (the time it takes for caffeine concentrations in the bloodstream become half) can vary between 3 to 7 hours (depending on the person), which means that significant amounts of caffeine can remain in the bloodstream at night due to beverages consumed in the early afternoon, or even in the morning.
Prescription medications to facilitate sleeping have improved considerably, but are still suffering from the stigma associated with earlier medications. Barbiturate sleeping pills can be addicting and can lead to death if an overdose is given. Like barbiturates alcohol can make it easier to fall asleep, but not result in restful sleep. The shift from barbiturates to benzodiazepines (such as Valium) in the 1970s eliminated the potential for fatal overdose, but not the potential for addiction. The newest hypnotics, imidazopyridines (such as Ambien) are not regarded as having addiction potential, and are safer than non-prescription "sleep-aids", such as anti-histamines. (The antihistamine pyrilamine maleate is the active ingredient for Nytol, Sleep-Eze and Sominex.) A CONSUMER REPORTS survey reported that 15% of respondents had taken a prescription drug for sleep in the preceeding month — nearly half of which were anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medications [CONSUMER REPORTS; 73(9):12-15 (2008)].
Melatonin and L−tryptophan are widely used to induce sleep, but some physicians are concerned about quality control of non-prescription pills and the absence of rigorous testing for possible harmful side effects. (The potential for melatonin to interfere with growth & development in teenagers was mentioned earlier.) As little as one or two grams of L−tryptophan is effective in decreasing sleep latency time [PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY; Schneider-Helmert,D; 89(1):1-7 (1986) and PHARMACOPSYCHIATRY; Demisch,K; 20(6):242-244 (1987)]. L−tryptophan either improves or has no effect on other sleep parameters, with the exception of a suppressive effect on REM sleep [EUROPEAN NEUROLOGY; Korner,E; 25(Suppl 2):75-81 (1986)]. Studies with 2 mg (2 milligrams) of prolonged-release melatonin in insomnia patients over age 55 showed significantly reduced sleep onset latency (9 minutes) as well as improved sleep quality and morning alertness [JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH; Lemoine,P; 16(4):372-380 (2007) and INTERNATIONAL CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY; Luthringer,R; 24(5):239-249 (2009)]. Three grams of glycine daily has been shown shown to improve sleep quality in young (average age 31) female Japanese adults [SLEEP AND BIOLOGICAL RHYTHM; Inagawa,K; 4:75-77 (2006)]
People who exercise sleep more deeply and have less difficulty falling asleep — as long as they don't exercise immediately before bedtime. High carbohydrate foods induce sleep much more readily than high protein foods.
Afternoon naps (siestas) are a common means of alertness restoration in South America, China, India and the Mediterranean, but have a bad reputation as being slothful or an aging disability in most Western countries. "Westernization" of world economies is reducing the prevalence of napping — and increasing the use of caffeine. The combined effects of being awake from morning and the afternoon dip in circadian rhythm alertness have caused some researchers to believe that naps are a "biological need". Thomas Edison and Winston Churchill were famous for their use of afternoon naps as a means of extending their productive working hours.
Napping is more frequent among people who are older and in poor health. A study of mostly middle-aged American volunteers found that over a ten-day period 29% did not nap, and the median number of nap-days was 2.5 days and the median nap length was about 35 minutes [JOURNAL OF CLINICAL SLEEP MEDICINE; Owens,JF; 6(4):330-335 (2010)]. Sleep-deprived subjects show benefits for alertness from naps as short as ten minutes, but show no benefit from naps lasting only 90 seconds [JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH; Tietzel,AJ; 11(3):213-218 (2002)].
Dr. Dement recommends immediate "emergency naps" for people having trouble keeping their eyes open while driving. For people who can tolerate caffeine Dement recommends drinking coffee before the nap. Caffeine from coffee takes about 15 to 30 minutes for the full effect to be felt, allowing for the benefits of both a 15 minute nap and of the caffeine, without the danger of a longer sleep.
IX. THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OF SLEEP
Sleep is said to be regulated by a circadian component and a homeostatic component. The homeostatic component causes an increase in sleep need that varies directly with duration of wakefulness and is reduced by slow wave sleep (corresponding to EEG delta waves). The frontal association area of the brain is the most active brain area during wakefulness, and shows the strongest delta wave recovery in response to sleep deprivation [CEREBRAL CORTEX; Ferrara,M; 12(7):737-748 (2002)].
The K−complexes seem in slow wave sleep are known to arise from neurons in the cerebral cortex [SLEEP MEDICINE REVIEWS; Amzica,F; 6(2):139-149 (2002)]. Sleep spindles arise from the reticular nucleus of the thalamus and the projections of the reticular nucleus into the cerebral cortex (primarily during the lighter stages of sleep) [SLEEP MEDICINE REVIEW; De Gennaro,L; 7(5):423-440 (2003)]. Sleep spindle activity is important for the integration of new memories into existing knowledge [JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE; Tamminen,J; 30(43):14356-14360 (2010)]. K−complexes & sleep spindles decline significantly in the elderly [CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY; Crowley,K; 113(10):1615-1622 (2002)].
A homeostatic indicator of increasing sleep deprivation during extended quiet waking is the amplitude of theta waves (believed to arise independently from the hippocampus & neocortex of humans) — providing a quantitative measure of sleep propensity when awake and predicted sleep intensity when asleep [BRAIN RESEARCH; Vyazovskiy,VV; 1050(1-2):64-71 (2005)].
Three distinct components of learning & memory are described: (1) acquisition (2) consolidation and (3) retrieval. Sleep is believed to play a crucial role in consolidation, during which new memories are integrated into existing long-term memories. A distinction is also made between declarative & procedural memory. Declarative memories are memories of facts, such as the name of the capital of Brazil. Declarative memories can often be remembered as a result of a single learning event. Procedural memories (such as knowing how to touch type, tie a shoe or ride a bicycle) often require repeated trials for learning. It is characteristic of procedural learning that delays & sleep following a training lead to performance gains.
Encoding and short-term retrieval of declarative memories is heavily dependent upon the hippocampus, but with consolidation these memories become stored & retrieved in the cerebral cortex. Reactivations of newly encoded declarative memories in the hippocampus leading to consolidation occur during slow wave sleep (SWS,NREM sleep), in association with sleep spindle [THE NEUROSCIENTIST; Born,J; 12(5):410-424 (2006)]. A learning task associated with activation of Brodmann areas 40 & 7 of the cerebral cortex was shown to correlate with slow wave activity in those areas during sleep — and improved performance of the task after sleep [NATURE; Huber,R; 430:78-81 (2004)].
Procedural memories, by contrast, are consolidated during REM sleep. Higher levels of procedural learning are associated with a higher intensity of REM sleep [LEARNING & MEMORY; Smith,CT; 11(6):714-719 (2004)]. REM sleep is also associated with consolidation of "emotional memories" and learning of complex games. In REM sleep there is less flow of information from the hippocampus to the neocortex, and much greater activity in the limbic system (amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex). Reduced activity of the decision-making areas of the prefrontal cortex during REM sleep are postulated to reduce attention to the bizzare incongruities of dreams [SCIENCE; Stickgold,R; 294:1052-1057 (2001)]. Much about consolidation of memory during sleep is still unresolved.
The control of sleep & alertness involves a bewildering array of chemicals & neural structures. Benzodiazepines (like Valium®) and barbiturates (like phenobarbital) induce sleep by potentiating GABA — the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter — all over the brain (increasing the amount of time spent in stage II non-REM sleep). The tubermammillary nucleus of the posterior lateral hypothalamus tonically releases histamine throughout the cortex as a wakefulness-promoting neuromodulator (which is why anti-histamines can cause drowsiness). Amphetamines, the most potent promoters of wakefulness, increase dopamine availability [THE JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE; Wisor,JP; 21(5):1787-1794 (2001)]. Benzodiazepines (eg, valium) increase Stage 2 sleep, while decreasing the other Stages, including Slow Wave Sleep and REM sleep [JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH; Perlis,L; 6(3):179-188 (1997)]. Melatonin from the pineal gland can influence the circadian sleep-waking cycle through the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
A neural structure that is central to wakefulness is the reticular activating system in the brainstem — notably the raphe nuclei (associated with serotonin), the locus coeruleus (projecting norepinephrine) and the peribrachial nuclei (projecting acetylcholine) — which activates the higher brain centers. Lesions of the raphe nuclei result in insomnia. All three neuromodulators are actively projecting in the waking state, and all three are less active during non-REM sleep (SWS). Acetylcholine from the brainstem activates both the histamine-producing tubermammillary nucleus in the hypothalamus and the basal nucleus of the forebrain, which itself sends acetylcholine to the cerebral corex as an arousal-promoting neuromodulator. The basal nucleus is also activated by norepinephrine from the locus coeruleus. Both serotonin & noradrenaline levels drop to near zero in REM sleep, but acetylcholine levels are as high or higher in REM than in waking [SCIENCE; Maguet,P; 294:1048-1051 (2001)]. Acetylcholine enhances cortical plasticity. Serotonin, on the other hand, can inhibit REM sleep [SLEEP; Datta,S; 26(5):513-520 (2003)]. Cortisol also inhibits REM sleep, and the decline of REM sleep with senescence is primarily due to increased plasma cortisol [THE JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM; Vgontias,AN; 88(5):2087-2095 (2003)].
Adenosine acts like a neurotransmitter in the brain, but is not released from synapses. Instead, adenosine is released by both neurons and glial cells as a result of the breakdown of the energy-supplying ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate) molecules. Thus, a rise in brain adenosine is associated with a depletion of energy in the brain cells. Appropriately, the action of adenosine on brain adenosine receptors is to induce sleepiness (so that resting can replenish ATP) [THE JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE; Thakkar,MM; 23(10):4278-4287 (2003)]. Caffeine blocks the action of adenosine receptors. Individuals who are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine are also more sensitive to the effects of sleep deprivation [THE JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE; Refey,JV; 26(41):10472-10479 (2006)].


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S.3274 - Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act114th Congress (2015-2016)
Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH] (Introduced 07/14/2016)
Senate - Foreign Relations
Senate - 07/14/2016 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (All Actions)
There is one summary for S.3274. Bill summaries are authored by CRS.
Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act
This bill directs the Department of State to establish a Center for Information Analysis and Response to:
coordinate the sharing among government agencies of information on foreign government information warfare efforts,
establish a process for integrating information on foreign propaganda and disinformation efforts into national strategy, and
develop and synchronize interagency activities to expose and counter foreign information operations directed against U.S. national security interests and advance narratives that support U.S. allies and interests.
The President is authorized to designate a U.S. government official to lead an interagency team and to manage the center.
The center may provide grants to or contract with specified entities to:
support local independent media to refute foreign disinformation and manipulation in their communities,
collect and store examples of disinformation and propaganda directed at the United States and its allies,
analyze foreign government information warfare tactics and techniques, and
support center efforts to counter foreign disinformation and propaganda efforts to influence the policies and social and political stability of the United States and its allies.
The President shall ensure that the State Department, when selecting participants for U.S. educational and cultural exchange programs, gives special consideration to students and community leaders from populations and countries deemed vulnerable to foreign propaganda and disinformation campaigns.
The center shall terminate 15 years after enactment of this Act.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Walk like an Egyptian: Chanel's Métiers d'Art 2019 collection show
Here's everything you need to know
Text: Meeran Mekkaoui
Chanel's Métiers d'Art 2019 collection show will make you feel like you're in ancient Egypt...
Every season, Karl Lagerfeld puts together the most impressive shows for Chanel.
Earlier this week, the luxury maison took the fash pack to New York to present its latest Métiers d'Art collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the space was transformed into ancient Egypt with the museum's Temple of Dendur serving as the backdrop.
Turning his fascinations into a ready-to-wear collection, King Karl took gold metallics, lean silhouettes and rich embroideries to a whole new level. "Egyptian civilisation has always fascinated me: I get inspired by an idea, which I make a reality," he explained.
With many variations of the Egyptian Cleopatra, models walked down the runway dressed in geometrically-shaped silhouettes, elongated shapes, ultra-feminine forms and signature Chanel pieces – all adorned in gold (in all forms including sparkling, shimmering, crackled and bronze, too).
Intertwined with a colourful palette of beige, white, black, turquoise, lapis lazuli blue, coral orange, yellow and red, the pieces came complete with exceptional embroidery with tiny stones, mini pyramids and elaborate mosaics.
We also spotted a slew of collaborations on the runway such as the works of graffiti artist Cyril Kongo (whose prints were spotted on jackets, dresses and bags) and Maison Michel, who was responsible for the hats.
Take a look at some of our favourite looks from the collection here...
Whilst there was a slew of celebrities sitting on the sidelines including Chanel ambassadors Margot Robbie, Penélope Cruz, Lily-Rose Depp, Julianne Moore and Sofia Coppola, there was one celebrity that wasn't seated — Pharrell Williams.
The musician (who recently teamed up with Chanel to create a capsule collection) walked the runway, wearing heavy eyeliner and of course, dripping in gold. He was also joined by Moroccan model Nora Attal and Kaia Gerber.
See the best A-list looks here...
Now, did you hear about Chanel's latest announcement to ban all exotic skins and fur?
Chanel Métiers d'art
Chanel x Pharrell Williams team up on a capsule collection
Chanel just reopened its Watches and Fine Jewellery boutique in The Dubai Mall
Chanel announces ban on exotic skins and fur


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Steve Jaggers
Volunteer Highlight
Volunteers at non-profit organizations are vitally important. Damien Center is no exception, and volunteer Steve Jaggers is a contributor with staying power. He's been with Damien Center for a number of years, and aside from his efforts and financial support, the knowledge he's acquired through his work on Damien Center fundraising events has become an asset in itself.
A Columbus, IN native, Steve has worked on both Dining Out for Life and Grande Masquerade. Dining Out for Life has been postponed until September this year thanks to the Covid19 crisis, but he is optimistic it will continue to be successful. In his role as volunteer coordinator he'll be assigning volunteers and equipping them with tools they need to represent Damien Center at participating restaurants. He's a great teacher, as he served that very role of ambassador for five years. "Some diners know everything we do, some very little. And everything in between," says Steve. "There is a pressing need for HIV education. When you are informed, you can inform other people. These events help get the facts out."
His role with Grand Masquerade is similar - he coordinates and trains volunteers. He also helps in the recruitment of vendors and auction items. This can be a tedious and time consuming process, and that role is served best by a person like Steve who excels at relationship building. When vendors, auction item donors, and sponsors care about the cause as much as the organizers do, the event grows. That is exactly what the work of Steve and his team have brought about.
"The night is growing bigger and bigger," says Steve. "Last year we were at the JW Marriott." (The 2020 event will be at the Indy Marriott, with an equally large ballroom.) With quite a few charity events in Indianapolis, Steve reflected on what makes Grande Masquerade different. "It IS Indy. Even though it's a big event, it feels more like a hometown crowd. You'll see a lot of people you know. People who use Damien's services are there. Often the clients are volunteers. It is not some large national organization. You are celebrating with the people who run the organization and receive services, but they can also be your neighbor."
Steadfast supporters like Steve often have a good perspective on how an organization has evolved. "I've seen Damien Center offer more and more services through the years. They now offer a test to every single person who walks in the door. Sometimes a person just doesn't feel comfortable going to their family doctor, so this is a tremendous service. And, this is why events are so important. They support this work."
Steve is a thoughtful man, and answered in that manner when asked what he would say to a person thinking about donating to Damien Center. "First, I would combat the perception that Damien Center is just a place for the LGBT community. It is not. This place is focused on our community as a whole. When you send a check in, your donation affects neighbors, family and friends. Anyone who is HIV+ in Central Indiana."
The bricks outside of Damien Center, with names of donors on them, illustrate to Steve how far Damien Center has come. "They are often in memory of an HIV patient. We've gone from doom and gloom to celebrating people who now live with HIV and are healthy and doing well."
But he makes the point that there is also a false sense of security, even though treatments have gotten better. "It is much easier to contract HIV from someone who has never been tested," stresses Steve. "Precautions still need to be taken, and education about Damien Center's testing and prevention services is something donor dollars help promote."
Time is a precious commodity for most people, including Steve who works full time as an estimator with Firestone Building Products. With Americans overall not volunteering as much, non-profit organizations recognize the need to treat the volunteers they already have well. "Damien Center really does appreciate their volunteers. You can put in as little or as much time as you'd like," says Steve. "Instead of sitting on the couch or gaming for a few hours, you can do something for others, and in turn you're doing something for yourself too. When you support a charity like Damien Center, you find your own balance."
Damien Center is extraordinarily fortunate that time spent on its fundraising events is a part of Steve's balance. His generous giving and work behind the scenes embodies the quote, "Don't strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt."
Volunteer with Damien


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The Baltimore Examiner was a free daily newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland,  launched in 2006, ceased publication in 2009.

History
The Baltimore Examiner was launched in 2006 by the Philip Anschutz-owned Clarity Media Group as part of a national chain that at the time included The San Francisco Examiner and The Washington Examiner.  In contrast to the paid subscription Baltimore Sun, the Examiner was a free newspaper funded solely by advertisements. After being unable to find a buyer, Baltimore Examiner closed after its final publication on February 15, 2009.

The managing editor of The Baltimore Examiner, along with several others from various national newspapers, started The Baltimore Post-Examiner in 2012.

The Examiner's sign adorned the facade of its former headquarters until 2013, when it was replaced with that of technology marketing firm R2integrated. The naming rights were later acquired by the law firm Silverman, Thompson, Slutkin & White.

Conservative tone
Editorially, The Examiner was often viewed as taking a more conservative tone than The Baltimore Sun.

References

External links
 The Baltimore Examiner (Digital Edition Archives), January 1, 2008 – February 15, 2009.
 Sullivan, Erin. "Final Examiner," Baltimore City Paper, January 29, 2009.
 Frank Keegan

Defunct newspapers published in Maryland
Newspapers published in Baltimore
Free daily newspapers
Newspapers established in 2005
Publications disestablished in 2009
2005 establishments in Maryland
2009 disestablishments in Maryland
Anschutz Corporation
Defunct free daily newspapers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Spring Training Battle: Brew Crew Shortstop
March 7, 2020	| 2020 Fantasy Baseball	| 4 Comments
by: Thomas Howland
Bernie Brewer is dancing in the streets. Christian Yelich recently signed a nine year $215 Million contract to stay with the Brewers. Yelich went above and beyond, even agreeing to some significant deferrals to make the deal happen. Yelich loves Milwaukee, Milwaukee loves Yelich, all is right in Brewerville. A big part of the outfield is set. But that doesn't mean there's not some good old competition on the Brewer's infield to sift through as spring training games have begun in earnest. In particular, the shortstop position is in flux. Who can fantasy players depend on, much less Craig Counsell?
The 2020 Razzball Commenter Leagues are now open! Free to join!
Luis Urias burst onto prospect lists in 2016 in single High A Lake Elsinore , where he murdered his fellow league mates to a .330/.397/.836 slash line as a 19 year old. Flash forward to 2018 and his work in the notoriously offensive friendly AAA PCL (.296/.398/.845) got him a cup of coffee with the Padres. A year later he was traded to the Brewers, who were hoping they had the short stop of the future. He manged to get a wrist injury in 2019 winter ball that needed surgery almost immediately after being traded, which is why he is not installed as the everyday shortstop right now. In 2019 the 22 year old only hit .223/.329/.655, but did manage to pull it together in September to a .300/.371/.796 line. He makes a lot of contact, draws walks, has power and can steal a few bags. That alone would make the now 23 year old a prime breakout candidate. But wrist injuries are tricky, the recovery could be smooth or it could drag on for months. Because of this the Brewers will most likely slow play his recovery despite his proclamations of being ready by opening day. That opens the door for….
The Passed Over Kid
Once upon a time Orlando Arcia was the up and coming Brewer shortstop of the future. But that was way back in 2017 when he hit 15 home runs with 17 steals and a .277 batting average. Since then things haven't exactly gone to plan. Despite over 800 at bats since he hasn't batted over .236. But the reason he's still around are the 15 home runs he hit last year, to match his 2017 career high. There is a world where Urias takes too long to come back and Arcia hits the ground running. If Arcia shows well in spring training and gets the majority of at bats in April hitting anything close to .270 he could run with the position for the year. That said, the chances are good he doesn't get it going. Is there someone else to step into the breach?
The Just Give Me A Chance Cheerleader
The lovable Brock Holt, fresh off endearing himself to Red Sox Nation with his post home run celebrations with J.D. Martinez and dedication to the Jimmy Fund, was brought in with a one year $3.25 Million deal. That's not chump change in Milwaukee. Last year he did what he's been doing his whole career, perform pretty well and get injured. He hit .297/.369/.771 in 87 games. After fighting all kinds of ailments, including vertigo from concussions, he's been waiting for a chance to prove himself over a full season. Now 31 he'll be willing to be anywhere, and he has played everywhere on the diamond. He's not a full time shortstop by any means, but if Arcia stumbles and can't hit his weight and Urias is delayed Holt could come on and not let go. He is capable of a .300 batting average with power, which a manager might become enamored with.
The 'Oh Yeah That Guy'
You may remember Ronny Rodriguez from such movies as 14 home runs, 43 RBI and a sneaky three steals in Detroit last year. You also may remember that he only hit .221 with a .252 OBP. He's there as a kind of insurance for the insurance of Brock Holt along with the insurance of Orlando Arcia for Luis Urias.
Keep a close watch on the Brewers's shortstop battle this spring. Either Brock Holt or Orlando Arcia could come away with consistent at bats and be excellent sources of value at drafts. And who knows, Ronny Rodriguez could pull a James K Polk in the 1844 Democratic nomination process and be a dark horse for the 2020 Brewers shortstop. It's a great battle to watch all spring long.
2020 Fantasy Baseball, Bernie Brewer, Brock Holt, Christian Yelich, Craig Counsell, James K. Polk, Luis Urias, Milwaukee Brewers, Orlando Arcia, Ronny Rodriguez, The Simpsons Troy McClure
Luvdarooks says:
March 8, 2020 at 9:00 am	 (link)
Who will be the better choice using these stats :
Net wins – Quality starts – WHIP – ERA – K's
Can you give me your up to date stat predictions and Have your numbers changed based on Luzardo's spring debut?
C Paddack OR J Luzardo?
Thomas Howland says:
Right now it's wait and see. Far too early to be changing things based on a couple spring starts. Still lean Paddack over Luzardo.
Harley Earl says:
Just a note to add, Arcia has been killing it in spring training. Five bombs already. May not mean a thing. Or it might.
March 13, 2020 at 9:53 am	 (link)
Sorry for the delay in response! He even threw in 2 2bs and a steal. The delay in the season starting may make all this moot, but Arcia could be the man even so.


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Home Extension Pork Industry Handbook (Purdue University. Ag. Extension Service) Page 001
PORK AND PORK QUALITY
PIH-125
industry handbook
PURDUE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
Composition and Nutritive Value of Pork
Burdette C. Breidenstein, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Robin Kline, Des Moines, Iowa
Alden M. Booren, Michigan State University
Wayne and Carmen Jorgensen, Dover, Arkansas
April C. Mason, Purdue University
Herbert W. Ockerman, The Ohio State University
Human use of pork as a food dates back to prehistoric times. Drawings on the walls of caves in Europe portray wild pigs being hunted even before the development of a written language. As civilization advanced and animals were domesticated to provide for a more predictable and consistent food supply, the pig was highly valued as a source of very palatable human food. For the ensuing centuries, a number of societies have placed a heavy reliance on pork as a major dietary component, and it has served them well as a source of major nutrients.
"Fat as a pig" was, for centuries, an apt description for one who was overweight. However, over the past thirty or forty years improvements in leanness achieved through genetic means and the development of improved feeding and other management regimes have resulted in a much leaner profile for the typical pig. As a result, the pig has generally become much leaner since World War II. In the modern era, there have been a number of consumer-driven changes in pork production. In responding to emerging consumer demands, the pork industry, shortly after World War II, began to modify pork composition by reducing its fatness with corresponding increases in leanness and all that this implies. Consumers have become much more diet conscious with emphasis on nutrition and health, but still are very interested in the traditional quality attributes of flavor, tenderness, juiciness and texture that pork provides.
Common wisdom suggests that pork produces a high level of appetite satiation, or a feeling of appetite satisfaction. Simonson (1982) reports that persons on a meat-containing diet compared to those on either a self-designed vegetarian diet or on diets individually designed for them by a professional dietitian, lost weight more slowly. However, the persons who were on a nonvegetarian diet had less weight fluctuation, fewer dropouts, no feeling of hunger, experienced few physical and psychological problems and had improved work productivity. This generally supports the contention that meat consumption, including pork, provides a good level of appetite satisfaction.
The pork producer has increasingly recognized his role in supplying human food and the responsibility that this recognition brings with it, and of the increasing need to keep abreast of changing consumer needs and desires. Producers have, therefore, become much more aware of the validity of the desire by consumers for a healthier and a safer diet. Recognizing the corresponding increases in demand for reasonably priced "healthy" meat, requiring a minimum of time and effort in the
kitchen, has spawned a number of new products using pork as a raw material. The development of scientific parameters, and the use of computers, has permitted the industry to more consistently produce products which are more finely attuned to existing and emerging consumer desires and demands. Such developments have resulted in a triumph for hog producers and resulted in the development of a hog that is both "producer" and "consumer" friendly.
The primary tissues which constitute pork include lean, fat, bone and soft connective tissue. The paramount reason, however, for raising pigs in the modem era, is the ability of the pig to convert plant materials to lean tissue for use as a human food. The lean tissue must obviously contain sufficient intramuscular fat to insure acceptable taste appeal. While many of the other components of the animal contribute significantly to its economic value, we must not lose sight of the primary role of the pig in the food supply chain, namely the production of lean tissue. Table 1 provides composition information relative to the contribution of the various tissues to tire traditional primal cuts.
Table 1. Lean, fat, bone and skin of primal cuts expressed as a % of total carcass lean, fat, bone and skin respectively.*
Lean	Fat	Bone	Skin	Total primal cut
Leg (ham)	28.8	14.5	17.6	12.0	21.5
Loin	24.2	6.7	25.6	—	17.0
Blade Boston	13.9	5.1	4.2	—	8.7
Arm picnic	11.4	6.0	11.6	8.8	9.5
Belly	9.7	16.0	-	15.0	10.6
Jowl, spareribs,
Neck bones, feet	7.4	6.5	41.0	15.5	11.6
and tail
Non-specific	4.7	45.2	—	48.8	21.1
cut/trim
TOTALS	100.1	100.0	100.0	100.1	100.0
*Source: Forrest (1989).
Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, state of Indiana, Purdue University, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating; H. A. Wadsworth, Director, West Lafayette, IN. Issued in furtherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. The Cooperative Extension Service of Purdue University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.
Purdue Identification Number UA14-13-mimeoPIH125
Title Extension Pork Industry Handbook, no. 125 (1990)
Title of Issue Composition and nutritive value of pork
Collection Title Extension Pork Industry Handbook (Purdue University. Agricultural Extension Service)
URI UA14-13-mimeoPIH125.tif
Transcript PORK AND PORK QUALITY PIH-125 pork industry handbook PURDUE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA Composition and Nutritive Value of Pork Authors Burdette C. Breidenstein, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Robin Kline, Des Moines, Iowa Reviewers Alden M. Booren, Michigan State University Wayne and Carmen Jorgensen, Dover, Arkansas April C. Mason, Purdue University Herbert W. Ockerman, The Ohio State University Human use of pork as a food dates back to prehistoric times. Drawings on the walls of caves in Europe portray wild pigs being hunted even before the development of a written language. As civilization advanced and animals were domesticated to provide for a more predictable and consistent food supply, the pig was highly valued as a source of very palatable human food. For the ensuing centuries, a number of societies have placed a heavy reliance on pork as a major dietary component, and it has served them well as a source of major nutrients. "Fat as a pig" was, for centuries, an apt description for one who was overweight. However, over the past thirty or forty years improvements in leanness achieved through genetic means and the development of improved feeding and other management regimes have resulted in a much leaner profile for the typical pig. As a result, the pig has generally become much leaner since World War II. In the modern era, there have been a number of consumer-driven changes in pork production. In responding to emerging consumer demands, the pork industry, shortly after World War II, began to modify pork composition by reducing its fatness with corresponding increases in leanness and all that this implies. Consumers have become much more diet conscious with emphasis on nutrition and health, but still are very interested in the traditional quality attributes of flavor, tenderness, juiciness and texture that pork provides. Common wisdom suggests that pork produces a high level of appetite satiation, or a feeling of appetite satisfaction. Simonson (1982) reports that persons on a meat-containing diet compared to those on either a self-designed vegetarian diet or on diets individually designed for them by a professional dietitian, lost weight more slowly. However, the persons who were on a nonvegetarian diet had less weight fluctuation, fewer dropouts, no feeling of hunger, experienced few physical and psychological problems and had improved work productivity. This generally supports the contention that meat consumption, including pork, provides a good level of appetite satisfaction. The pork producer has increasingly recognized his role in supplying human food and the responsibility that this recognition brings with it, and of the increasing need to keep abreast of changing consumer needs and desires. Producers have, therefore, become much more aware of the validity of the desire by consumers for a healthier and a safer diet. Recognizing the corresponding increases in demand for reasonably priced "healthy" meat, requiring a minimum of time and effort in the kitchen, has spawned a number of new products using pork as a raw material. The development of scientific parameters, and the use of computers, has permitted the industry to more consistently produce products which are more finely attuned to existing and emerging consumer desires and demands. Such developments have resulted in a triumph for hog producers and resulted in the development of a hog that is both "producer" and "consumer" friendly. Composition The primary tissues which constitute pork include lean, fat, bone and soft connective tissue. The paramount reason, however, for raising pigs in the modem era, is the ability of the pig to convert plant materials to lean tissue for use as a human food. The lean tissue must obviously contain sufficient intramuscular fat to insure acceptable taste appeal. While many of the other components of the animal contribute significantly to its economic value, we must not lose sight of the primary role of the pig in the food supply chain, namely the production of lean tissue. Table 1 provides composition information relative to the contribution of the various tissues to tire traditional primal cuts. Table 1. Lean, fat, bone and skin of primal cuts expressed as a % of total carcass lean, fat, bone and skin respectively.* Lean	Fat	Bone	Skin	Total primal cut Leg (ham)	28.8	14.5	17.6	12.0	21.5 Loin	24.2	6.7	25.6	—	17.0 Blade Boston	13.9	5.1	4.2	—	8.7 Arm picnic	11.4	6.0	11.6	8.8	9.5 Belly	9.7	16.0	-	15.0	10.6 Jowl, spareribs,	Neck bones, feet	7.4	6.5	41.0	15.5	11.6 and tail	Non-specific	4.7	45.2	—	48.8	21.1 cut/trim	TOTALS	100.1	100.0	100.0	100.1	100.0 *Source: Forrest (1989). Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, state of Indiana, Purdue University, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating; H. A. Wadsworth, Director, West Lafayette, IN. Issued in furtherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. The Cooperative Extension Service of Purdue University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution.


text:
Goslar – Summer residence of the German emperors
Goslar lies right in the middle of the Harz region. It has a population of about 42 thousand, but lots of visitors, some five million tourists annually.
Carillon at the Market Place
People come to admire the medieval Old Town and the nearby Rammelsberg mine. Both are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
For a long time during the Middle Ages, Goslar was an imperial palatinate where the Holy Roman Emperors held their court councils. The old town center has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992. Two thirds of its buildings are historically listed. Their elaborate ornamentation testifies to the status and wealth of their former owners. The Old Town still has about 1500 half-timbered buildings crowded into an area a mere square kilometer in size.
The town owes its rise and wealth to a rich vein of metallic ore discovered on Rammelsberg mountain, about two kilometers away. The mine was decommissioned in 1988. Now it's a museum and also a World Heritage site. In the permanent exhibition there's a sculpture by the American artist John Chamberlain. It depicts a horse whose hooves, legend has it, laid bare the mountain's vein of ore when he pawed the ground waiting for his master, a knight called Ramm. The mountain was named Rammelsberg in the knight's honor.
Goslaralso has a soft spot for modern art. The Mönchehaus Museum houses works by Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys and Max Ernst. It also displays works by the winners of Goslar's Kaiser Ring Award, presented annually to deserving artists.
The report as video on demand
Related Subjects World Heritage
Keywords goslar, world cultural heritage, rammelsberg, mönchehaus museum, brewhouse, unesco
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/14Bu2
UNESCO World Heritage Speyer Cathedral decorates 100 euro gold coin 12.12.2018
A series of 100 euro gold coins has been issued since 2003 to honour the German UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For 2019, the Federal Government has chosen the Speyer Cathedral as its motif.


We would like you to partner with us so that we can make a positive impact for Christ as both our Creator and Savior. Please prayerfully consider making a minimum donation of $35.00, and we will send this powerful movie. Our ministry depends on our donors to move forward declaring the truths of creation and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Based on Lee Strobel's award-winning bestselling book and starring Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway, and Robert Forster.


has long-standing experiences within the sector of tank construction and executed large special constructions.
In-house quality management, performance of maximum safety requirements and numerous approvals of third parties as TÜV, Stoomwezen, Bureau Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd, etc. generate the basis of our work.


The little darlings are back to school after the long summer holidays, and grown-ups thoughts turn to a bit of grown-up catching-up, a shared glass while dodging the damp bits of this mellow fruitful season.
It might seem a funny time of year to have a SALE, but we have to think of something to entice you back to the website or to your local L&S shop after the long holidays. With the busy winter season just about to begin, and our 'end-of-year' stocktake right after Christmas, it is a good moment to do a bit of pre-seasonal deck-clearing – and you should take advantage!
Click the bottle links below to the white, red and rosé selections – not forgetting you can mix in non-sale stock too to get to the £100 minimum order for free delivery.
All these wines are also on sale in our shops in Chelsea, Barnes, Chiswick and Kensington.


Image Title: Onlwe 3D Wild Wolf And Natural Scenery Printed 4 Piece Bedding Regarding Comforter Sets Remodel. Filename: onlwe-3d-wild-wolf-and-natural-scenery-printed-4-piece-bedding-regarding-comforter-sets-remodel.jpg. Image Dimension: 670 x 490 pixels. Images Format: jpg/jpeg. Publisher/Author: Gonzalo Watsica. Uploaded Date: Thursday - April 12th. 2018 02:41:45 AM. Category: Bedroom. Image Source: architecture.com.
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Abercrombie is trying to compete with Nike, Under Armour, and Lululemon
FLICKR/Cyril Attias
Abercrombie is moving away from preppy.
The former teen mall favorite is entering the highly profitable athleisure category, Racked reports.
The line will be available on the store's website and in stores on July 29th. company news release (via Racked) says that:
"The collection is a nod to the brand's athletic heritage, featuring sporty items that can be dressed up or down including cropped fleece tops, structured leggings, tanks with mesh inserts and ribbed jersey dresses."
A representative for Abercrombie has informed Business Insider that this is an extension to its pre-existing collection.
Most notable is the price, which Racked reports will stay in the relatively affordable range of $15-160.
Abercrombie & Fitch is lowering its prices as it is, which is an attempt for the brand to keep up with the competition. Teens have been abandoning stores like Abercrombie for cheaper fast-fashion chains such as H&M and Forever 21.
Athleisure is an incredibly popular category, and many brands such as Nike, Under Armour, and Victoria's Secret have been trying to jump on Lululemon's heels. In fact, in 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that trendy athletic wear was more popular than the actual act of playing sports.
However, Abercrombie has a bigger problem: a lack of a brand identity.
"A&F now needs to be much more decisive about what it stands for and who it wants to serve: in essence it needs a much clearer and more relevant brand identity," Neil Saunders, CEO of retail consulting ferm Conlumino, wrote in a research note. "This is far from an easy task ... and A&F has to tread a careful line between toning down the brasher elements of its image and becoming too generic — which will pitch it more firmly against cheaper competitors like H&M and Forever 21."
SEE ALSO: Abercrombie is taking an extreme measure to catch up to the competition
NOW WATCH: What Adderall is actually doing to your body
More: Abercrombie & Fitch Athleisure


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Bel, Book, and Scandal
I'm delighted to be participating in author Maggie McConnon's BEL, BOOK, AND SCANDAL tour today in keeping with the Christmas spirit.
Maggie McConnon rings in Christmas in Bel, Book, and Scandal, the third adventure for everybody's favorite Irish-American culinary artist turned amateur sleuth.
Bel McGrath tries her best to keep herself on the straight and narrow but she just has a taste for trouble. This time danger arrives in the form of a newspaper left behind by visitors to Shamrock Manor—and a photograph that jolts Bel out of the present and back into a dark chapter from her past.
The person in the photo is Bel's best friend Amy Mitchell, long gone from Foster's Landing, at a commune in upstate New York shortly after her disappearance. The picture, and Bel's burning desire to find out what happened to Amy—and whether she may still be alive—is the catalyst for a story in which old secrets are revealed, little by little…and certain characters are shown to not be as genuine as Bel once thought.
Now here's an excerpt from this tantalizing story for your reading pleasure.
I was wet, cold, and tired, but despite the fact that she was ready to kill me with her bare hands for staying out all night, my mother addressed all three of my immediate needs before saying anything else.
A towel to dry my hair.
Clean clothes in the form of a pair of jeans, a T- shirt, and a pair of socks. An Irish sweater, the most uncomfortable item of clothing ever made—a hair shirt, really— but welcomed, and probably deserved, at that moment.
A bologna sandwich. It would be the last time I would eat bologna, for many reasons, the most significant being that the smell would forever after remind me of Amy. And how she had disappeared the night before and would always be gone.
Mom was worrying a rosary in one hand, the other securely placed in one of my father's meaty ones. She turned and looked at me, asking me a question she had already asked and would continue to ask, along with everyone else even vaguely connected to Foster's Landing. "Where is she?"
I didn't know. I didn't think I would never know.
My brother Cargan, the closest to me in age and the one who had found me beside the Foster's Landing River, was across the room, looking out the window, his violin strapped to his back; he had a lesson later that morning and wouldn't miss it for anything, even if Amy Mitchell was missing and never to be seen again. No, he was gearing up for a big competition in Ireland and nothing stopped him from his lessons or his practicing. Although the mood was somber in the police station, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had whipped the instrument out right then and there and started playing a tune, a sad one, the type I had grown up listening to.
My other brothers were out and about in town now. They, too, had come running when Cargan first discovered me but were less concerned about me now but had joined the hunt for Amy. It was another night for Bel, one said. She was going to be in a lot of trouble, said another. They were both right: It had been another typical night and now I was in a lot of trouble, the last to have seen Amy alive with nothing to tell that might lead to her whereabouts. They were a self-protective bunch, caring little as to why I would be hauled into the police station, happy that, for once, they were not the ones in trouble. Feeney, especially. He was always in trouble. Derry and Arney, not as much, but both had a way of finding their way into situations that were beyond their control. Feeney was a much more calculated and deliberate hooligan.
Next to Mom, Dad let out a barely audible sob, the kind that told me that he was, first and foremost, a father and one who felt the pain of a missing child. He looked over at me, almost as if he wanted to confirm that I was still there, and reached out the hand that didn't hold Mom's, patting me awkwardly on the thigh.
"Ah, Belfast," he said. "Ah, girl."
"It's okay, Dad," I said. "They'll find her. They'll bring her back." I thought about those words a lot over the years, wondering where that confidence came from. Youth, I eventually decided. When you're young and nothing bad has ever happened, you think everything will always be better, every wrong will be righted. It's only with age that I realized that that wouldn't always be the case and that disappointments would stack up, like the layers of my famous mille-feuille cake, the one with seemingly a thousand layers of goodness that cracked upon the first dip of the fork. But even then, in my heart, I had a feeling it wasn't going to turn out the way we all wanted, something I couldn't give voice to at that moment.
Lieutenant D'Amato came out of the conference room at the Foster's Landing police station and looked at me, frowning. Behind me the door opened, and his expression suddenly lightened, the sight of his only child, his daughter, coming through the doors with a cup of coffee in one hand and a bag of something delicious in the other, the greasy stain at the bottom indicating that it was probably a Danish from the local bagel store. It smelled better than my bologna sandwich, which I wrapped up in the wax paper that Mom had put it in and stuffed under my thigh.
Mary Ann handed her father the food and then turned to me, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Bel," she said, and ran toward me, enveloping me in a hug. She smelled good, not like river water and stale beer like I did, but more like the soft grass that I felt beneath my feet when I ran from my house down the steep hill toward the river. Beside me, my mother's silent reproach hung over me like a fetid cloud.
Why can't you be more like Mary Ann D'Amato?
I had heard it more than once in my seventeen years and hoped eventually it would die a natural death as I got older and more accomplished, setting off to take the culinary world by storm, another thing that left a distinct distaste in my mother's mouth. I was supposed to be a nurse. A teacher. A wife, mother. Not a chef.
It was your idea to open a catering hall, I wanted to say. Your idea to have me in the kitchen every moment I wasn't studying or swimming on the varsity team. Your idea to ask me how the potatoes tasted, if the carrots needed another minute. Your idea to let my brothers learn the traditional Irish tunes and put me in an invisible, yet highly important, role— that of sous chef to you and a myriad of other cooks who had come through the doors of Shamrock Manor, only to discover that yes, our family was crazy, and no, they didn't really care all that much about haute cuisine.
Mary Ann was going to nursing school; of course she was. She was the daughter that my parents never had and she would make everyone in this town proud.
Years later, in what could only be from the "you can't make this stuff up" files, Mary Ann would marry Kevin Hanson—my Kevin Hanson— and I would cook the food for their wedding. We would all be friends and we would laugh together and eat together and have a generally good time in one another's company. Before, I felt the lesser, but in the future, the now, I would be equal, the one who had gone away and come back, realizing that my heart was in this little village, at least for a time. But back then, Amy was still missing and everyone thought I had the key.
"Where is she?" Mary Ann whispered into my curly hair.
"I don't know," I said. And I didn't. Amy Mitchell was my best friend, my confidante, my sister from another mother, and she hadn't said a word about where she would go after a night on Eden Island. My last words to her, an angry sentence (You'll be sorry. . . . ), burned in my gray matter. I don't know where she is, I wanted to scream. It had been just fun and games until I had seen her kissing my boyfriend, Kevin Hanson. We had been celebrating our waning days at FLHS, and it was the best night we had ever had up until that point.
I don't know why she wouldn't tell me where she was going, but maybe I did.
Maybe of everyone here in the police station, she wanted me to be the last to know.
I broke the embrace with Mary Ann and sat down again; I would never smell a certain floral-scented shampoo again without thinking of that morning. I would never feel the grass beneath my feet without thinking of the smell and where it brought me in my mind. Mary Ann's face, tear streaked and pale, made me feel bad about my own: dry as a bone, not a tear in sight, stunned, resigned. Amy was gone, and deep down I knew that she was never coming back. How I knew it so well in the early morning hours I had no idea. Why I had told Dad things would be fine was a mystery. But I knew it as well as I knew my own name that it was over and wondered how everyone else was still clueless to that fact. "Belfast McGrath?"
I looked up at a cop who clearly didn't know who I was but whose face told me he knew why I was there.
"That's me," I said, and walked into the room where I would tell them everything and nothing.
BEL, BOOK, AND SCANDAL is available at the following links:
For those not familiar with Maggie McConnon, here's a bit of background on her.
MAGGIE MCCONNON grew up in New York immersed in Irish culture and tradition. A former Irish stepdancer, she was surrounded by a family of Irish musicians who still play at family gatherings.
She credits her Irish grandparents with providing the stories of their homeland and their extended families as the basis for the stories she tells in her Belfast McGrath novels, beginning with Wedding Bel Blues.
For more on Maggie and her writing, visit with her on Facebook.
Thanks for stopping by today and I hope I've enticed you to check out Maggie's new release, BEL, BOOK, AND SCANDAL. Are you reading Christmas themed stories?
Labels: #BelBookandScandal, #blogtour, #Christmas, #MaggieMcConnon
Berkley Bookmas {+ Giveaway}
It is the season for fun and giving so I'm so excited to participate in Berkley Bookmas and I'm delighted to be hosting MARRY IN SCANDAL by Anne Gracie here today at Thoughts in Progress.
Berkley Bookmas is chock full of exclusive content from authors like exclusive excerpts, deleted scenes, author recipes and more! Check out the calendar of events below.
Now join me for an excerpt from this tantalizing book.
Marry In Scandal ~ Anne Gracie
"I have secured a duke for the opera tonight," Agatha, Lady Salter announced with an air of triumph. Bone thin and immensely elegant, her steely silvery hair intricately coiled, piled high and bound into a kind of turban, she fingered her lorgnette with long fingers and eyed her three nieces with a critical gaze.
Lily Rutherford, Lady Salter's youngest niece, swallowed. She sat with her sister Rose on the chaise longue facing the old lady. George, technically a great-niece rather than a niece, lounged casually on the armrest of a nearby chair.
"Do dukes sing?" Rose idly twirled her fan. "I had no idea."
"Don't be facetious, Rose," Aunt Agatha snapped. "You know very well why I have arranged this opportunity—it's for you in particular." She added, "As well, he is bringing two friends, one of whom—"
She broke off, her eyes narrowed. Lily tensed as the old lady raised her lorgnette. It was a warm day and Lily's thighs were sticking together, but she didn't dare move. Aunt Agatha despised fidgeting.
But her gaze came to rest meaningfully on George, who gave the elderly dowager a bland smile in return and stayed where she was, one leg swinging in an unladylike manner.
"Georgiana! Are you wearing breeches under that habit?"
George shrugged, entirely unrepentant. "We're just back from our morning ride."
The old lady closed her eyes in a 'heaven-help-me' expression, muttered something under her breath, took a deep breath and continued, "As I said, the duke is bringing two of his friends, and one of them might be interested in you, Georgiana—though not if you sit like that! Or wear breeches. No gentleman of taste—"
"And one of them might be interested in Lily." Rose smiled warmly at her sister.
Aunt Agatha glanced at Lily. "Perhaps," she said dismissively. She raised her lorgnette and raked it critically over the person of her youngest niece.
Lily, knowing what was coming, sucked in her stomach and held her breath. But it did no good.
"I see you have failed to follow my advice about the diet that was so effective for Lord Byron, Lily. You're as fat as ever."
"Lily isn't fat," Rose flashed angrily. "She's lovely and rounded and cuddly. But not fat!"
"And besides, she did try that dreadful diet," George said. "For two whole weeks and it made her quite sick for no result. Potatoes drenched in vinegar? Ghastly."
"A small sacrifice for the sake of beauty," Aunt Agatha said with all the complacence of a woman who had never had to diet in her life.
"Lily is beautiful as she is." Rose squeezed her sister's hand comfortingly. "We all think so."
Aunt Agatha snorted.
"Better to be sweet-natured and cuddly than a nasty, well-dressed skeleton." George gave a meaningful glance at Aunt Agatha.
Lily tried not to squirm. She hated this, hated people quarreling over her, hated it when Aunt Agatha examined her through her horrid lorgnette—as she did every time she visited. Under that cold, merciless gaze, Lily always felt like a worm—a fat, unattractive, stupid worm. And she couldn't bear another evening of it.
"I'm sorry but I can't come to the opera tonight," she found herself saying. "I have a—a previous engagement."
There was a short, shocked silence. Rose and George blinked and tried to conceal their surprise.
Aunt Agatha's gaze, her eyes horribly enlarged through the lens of her weapon of choice, bored into Lily. "What did you say, gel?"
Lily swallowed but held her ground. "I said, I have a prior engagement." She pressed her lips together. She was hopeless at arguing;, she always gave in eventually, so it was better to say nothing.
Aunt Agatha gripped her carved ebony stick in a bony grasp and stamped it on the floor. The floor being covered by a thick Turkish rug, the effect was rather lost. "Did you not understand me, you stupid gel? A duke and two of his friends have agreed to join our party at the opera. A duke! And two other eligible gentlemen. And you say you can't come? What nonsense! Of course you will come!"
Lily eased her fingers out of her sister's grasp. Now her hands were sweaty, as well as her thighs. She wiped them surreptitiously on her skirt and said with as much dignity as she could muster, "I was under the impression you had issued an invitation, Aunt Agatha, not an order."
On to the giveaway. The winner will receive: one $100 Visa gift card, and a book/galley/bound manuscript by each of the authors participating. You can enter by clicking HERE!
For next week's fun, head to one of the following blogs on 12/11:
· My Friend Amy
· The Romance Studio
· Booked & Loaded
· Vampire Book Club
· Coffee and Characters
· Rantings of a Reading Addict
· Diva Does 4 Good
· Just Another Book Bitch
· The Good, the Bad and the Unread
· Literary Escapism
· Reviews by Reds
· 3 Degrees of Fiction Book Blog
· Novel Grounds
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed the excerpt and will check out the upcoming blogs in the Bookmas. Are you adding books to your Christmas list this year for giving (and receiving)?
Labels: #AnnieGracie, #BerkleyBookmas, #excerpt, #MarryinScandal
Murder on the Lake of Fire {+ Giveaway}
Murder on the Lake of Fire
Mikel J. Wilson
(Mourning Dove Mysteries, #1)
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: December 1st 2017
Genres: LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance
At twenty-three and with a notorious case under his belt, Emory Rome has already garnered fame as a talented special agent for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. His career is leapfrogging over his colleagues, but the jumping stops when he's assigned a case he fought to avoid – to investigate an eerie murder in the Smoky Mountain hometown he had abandoned. This mysterious case of a dead teen ice-skater once destined for the pros is just the beginning. In a small town bursting with envious friends and foes, Rome's own secrets lie just below the surface. The rush to find the murderer before he strikes again pits Rome against artful private investigator, Jeff Woodard. The PI is handsome and smart, seducing Rome and forcing him to confront childhood demons, but Woodard has secrets of his own. He might just be the killer Rome is seeking.
The author has graciously answered a question about his writing for me. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Mikel as he shared his thoughts. Welcome, Mikel.
Your story is set in the Great Smoky Mountains. How did you go about doing research for your story and setting?
Murder on the Lake of Fire is set in the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee. I've lived in California since I was 19, so setting my book more than 2,000 miles away presented a challenge. I couldn't just look out my window or take a walk to inspire my descriptions. How would I convince my readers that my characters were actually interacting with the setting if I couldn't describe it accurately? If you get one detail wrong with the setting in your book, you risk losing the reader's trust in your ability to tell a story. To keep that trust intact, I used a combination of techniques for ensuring my setting's accuracy: memory, research and experience (as a verb, not a noun).
I did grow up in Tennessee, and I visited the Smoky Mountains a handful of times, but I was not familiar enough with the area to write convincingly about it just from memory. Even if I had a photographic memory, much could've changed over the years to make my description obsolete. After writing down all the sensory details I could remember about the Smoky Mountains and Knoxville, the secondary location in the book, I researched the setting online.
I looked at countless pictures and videos, and I used Google Earth to virtually roam the streets. I read about the area's demographics and history because having a character remark about an endemic feature, or weaving it into the story, can add some nice depth to your setting. I also realized I needed to research the region's flora and fauna. I wrote coyotes into one scene, but long after I left that passage behind, I wondered, "Are there coyotes in the Smoky Mountains?" Thankfully, there are, but imagine if I had written that and there weren't!
To learn what people were actually doing in the area I read local news and community calendar postings. Because this book is the first in a series, I want to keep abreast of current events in the area, so I also subscribed to the Visit Knoxville newsletter and added the Smoky Mountains, Knoxville and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to my Google news feed.
Online research can get you pretty close to familiar with your setting, but I don't think anything can replace actually experiencing it. I made a special trip to Knoxville and stayed a few days in the Smoky Mountains, and I took gigs of pictures and a pad full of notes about sensory data and specific locations my characters might visit. I even found the perfect spot for Mourning Dove Investigations, the PI firm in the book.
I realize traveling to wherever a book is set is not always an option, but I do believe it helps – walking the streets the characters will walk, taking in the sounds and smells, and finding places they might frequent. The more familiar an author is with a setting, the better he can describe it and the more convinced readers will be that the characters are really there.
Mikel, thanks for this insight into your book. The Smoky Mountains are a beautiful area and would be an amazing place to live.
Mystery and science fiction author Mikel J. Wilson received widespread critical praise for his debut novel, Sedona: The Lost Vortex, a science fiction book based on the Northern Arizona town's legends of energy vortexes and dimensional travel. Wilson now draws on his Southern roots for the Mourning Dove Mysteries, a series of novels featuring bizarre murders in the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee.
Murder on the Lake of Fire, the first novel in the Mourning Dove Mysteries series, will be available December 1, 2017.
Labels: #AcornPublishing, #blogtour, #MikelJ.Wilson, #MurderontheLakeofFire, #Mystery, #romance, #XpressoBookTour
Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge {+ Giveaway}


Planning a Wedding? Try Mudgee!
Mudgee's picturesque vineyards make for a stunning backdrop so it's no wonder couples are sourcing Mudgee as a great place to hold their wedding day.
We read in the Mudgee Guardian recently that there has been a lot of interest shown in Mudgee being a sought after wedding destination, which we think is brilliant for our economy and local businesses can certainly capitalise on an increase in visitors to the Mudgee region.
With so many wineries and country venues to choose from, there's no reason Mudgee couldn't be the regional wedding capital of New South Wales. Couple that with the great food and wine on offer, and plentiful accommodation, Mudgee certainly has everything a bride and groom could ask for.
Parklands Resort is but one of many venues freshening up their wedding packages, and we think all potential wedding venues should do the same. If we can lure brides to be and their future husbands to get married in Mudgee and stay for a few days, it's possible they too could fall in love with Mudgee and possibly move here to raise their family.
If you're planning a wedding or know someone from out of town who is, let them know about all the great features of we have on offer in Mudgee, including accommodation, venues, wineries, picturesque scenery and the many local businesses who can cater for their floral, photography and theming needs.
This entry was posted in Mudgee News and tagged Gulgong, I Love Mudgee, Moving, Mudgee, Mudgee Accommodation, Mudgee Australia, Mudgee Business, Mudgee CBD, Mudgee Community, Mudgee NSW, Mudgee Region, Mudgee Weddings, Professionals Mudgee, Sydneysiders, Visiting Mudgee on July 20, 2011 by adamwoods.
Wild Oats out at Robert Oatley vineyards host beautiful weddings in Mudgee.


Autism spectrum disorder is known as a complex developmental disability and includes conditions previously called autism, pervasive development disorder, and Asperger's syndrome, presented during the first three years of a person's life.
Even though the causes are not known, it is believed that the condition is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, affecting development of the person's communication and social interaction skills.
The following chart reveals the amazing truth about this disease and its growth in America over the last several years, it is very important information, since in many cases it is not diagnosed and can cause many social and mental problems to the person at a later age, intervention should begin when the child is young, early intervention and preschool programs are very important.


I love the new Start to Finish Challenge over at the SJ Crafts blog - the idea is to Start with Sarah's basic layout, then Finish by adding photos and embellishments in whichever way takes your fancy.
I love this striking photo of my son, taken by his Dad during one of their camping trips. Richard was a curious, thoughtful little boy - he often had an unusual way of looking at things and making sense of the world and I think this picture shows that aspect of his character.
Underneath the photo you can see a little zipper - this was punched from silver card with my new EK Success border punch, then I finished it off by adding a scrap of paper that has a stitched detail. The chipboard frames are from The Pier - love these things!
Light blue acrylic paint was used to colour various chipboard and wood veneer pieces to suit the page. I love the contrasting textures of wood, cork, chipboard and bark.
Lots of splattering with ink as well - maybe a little too much, but I was having fun!
Thanks for dropping in today, see you again soon.
What a fun and different challenge. Now that I am not on any DT's I will have time to play more and will definitely check this one out. I love the finished layout and your spin on it. Such a sweet photo and I love love the stars. I have that range of papers too... love this layout Annie.
Such a cute and busy layout.