text:
[nggallery id=101] Christine Wertheim, who heads CalArts' MFA Writing Program in the School of Critical Studies, and her sister Margaret Wertheim, a science writer, lecturer and exhibition curator, are also…Continue reading »
Archive for 2010
A Chilling Tale with Author Mark Danielewski at REDCAT on Halloween
Update: REDCAT has added a second show on Halloween with Mark Danielewski at 9 pm! If you're in the mood for a good ghost story–with a twist–then think about spending…Continue reading »
Janet Sarbanes' Essay on The Shaker 'Gift' Economy Wins Battisti Award
Last month, Critical Studies faculty member Janet Sarbanes was named the winner of this year's Battisti Award from the Society for Utopian Studies for her essay, "The Shaker 'Gift' Economy."…Continue reading »
East of Borneo: A New Online Journal from CalArts' School of Art
East of Borneo, a new online art journal and multimedia archive from CalArts School of Art, launched last week. Edited by School of Art Dean Thomas Lawson, the journal looks…Continue reading »
Filmmaker Vincent Grenier Discusses Framing and the 'Importance of Meta' at CalArts' Bijou Theater
Experimental filmmaker and video artist Vincent Grenier will screen and discuss several of his films during tonight's Structuring Strategies class and lecture series at CalArts' Bijou Theater. His presentation will…Continue reading »
Music Student's Work to be Premiered by the Minnesota Orchestra on Friday
It's an incredibly difficult task for a contemporary composer to have a musical composition performed by a major American symphony orchestra. But one CalArts student composer, Taylor Brizendine (Music BFA…Continue reading »
School of Film/Video Faculty Monte Hellman Retrospective in artforum
The October 2010 issue of artforum (available in print only) features a seven-page interview and career retrospective of film director Monte Hellman, adjunct instructor in CalArts' School of Film/Video since…Continue reading »
The Wild Beast Concert Series: Strauss, Mozart and Gabrieli Under the Stars–Rain or Shine
CalArts kicks off the inaugural season of The Wild Beast Concert Series, presented by Levitt Pavilions, tomorrow night (Oct. 23) on the Institute's Valencia campus. Music faculty member Mark Menzies…Continue reading »
Can You Say 'Amen?' Reverend Billy's in Town for Two Shows at REDCAT and a Wedding in Altadena
If you're the church-going type, then it's probably a safe bet that your preacher never proselytized quite like the Reverend Billy. The performer, writer and activist Bill Talen–as his alter…Continue reading »
Author Chris Abani Lectures on Art as Witness Tonight at CalArts
Poet-author Chris Abani visits CalArts tonight for a lecture on Art as Witness, the first installment of CalArts' new Art, Justice & Global Aesthetics: The Equity and Diversity Lecture Series….Continue reading »


text:
The terms "threshold run" and "tempo run" may be familiar to many runners, but telling the difference between the two might be a challenge. Many runners have also heard of the term "lactate" or perhaps, more commonly, "lactic acid." In this article, we'll use the term lactate to describe the by-product of anaerobic metabolism that is common during intense workouts and races.
Threshold Running Basics
The concept of threshold running is pretty simple. It's simply running at a pace where lactate does not accumulate significantly in the blood during the workout, but rather stays at a constant level.
One way to see how much lactate your body produces is to get tested in an exercise physiology lab. You will be asked to run faster and faster paces while blood is drawn throughout the workout to establish your "lactate curve." On this curve there will be an inflection point at which the amount of lactate dramatically rises.
Just prior to that dramatic rise is a speed that is your lactate threshold; run past it and you'll use a great deal of anearobic metabolism to fuel your running. That's fine when you're racing the final mile of a 5K, but when you're trying to complete a threshold run, it's inappropriate to run that fast.
What is really cool about threshold running is that your breathing, especially the rhythm of your breathing, changes at threshold pace (the book, Better Training for Distance Runners by Martin and Coe features a graph showing ventilation and lactate accumulation with various running speeds). This is fantastic news because it means that you can "feel" your threshold. It's a pace that is faster/harder than your normal easy run, but is slower than your 5K or 10K race pace. While the pace is challenging, it's not so hard that you can't run that pace for 20 or 30 minutes if you're fit.
More: How to Improve Your Lactate Threshold
How to Find Your Threshold Pace
There are various ways to calculate your threshold pace, yet my suggestion is to take each threshold workout individually and simply say, "This should be harder than my easy day pace, but once I feel my breathing going into that rhythm I feel when racing a 5K, then I need to back off the pace."
Threshold runs are a great way to gain aerobic fitness, and they are a cornerstone workout for all distances, from 5K to the marathon.
More: Target Pace Training
Tempo Runs
So what about tempo running? Tempo workouts are runs that are longer than threshold runs. You can get into a good rhythm and maintain it for several miles.
A marathoner might warm up for 2 miles, run 8 miles of tempo, and finish with 2 miles easy. It's a great way to get in 12 miles (and can be done on a 6-mile out-and-back course), of which 8 miles will be solid aerobic running.
The reason I don't use the terms tempo and threshold interchangeably is that threshold should describe running that is just slower than lactate threshold, whereas tempo describes running where you get into a groove that you can hold for a longer distance.
More: Tempo Running Tips to Boost Speed
Rather than assign an athlete a tempo run, I usually assign a run at either half-marathon pace or marathon pace. But, this is another article.
More: Half Marathon and Marathon Pace WorkoutsUse a pace calculator to determine your pace and sign up for your next race.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Scientists discover 7 'Earthlike' planets orbiting a nearby star
A newfound solar system just 39 light years away contains seven warm, rocky, Earthlike planets, scientists say.
The discovery, reported Wednesday in the journal Nature, represents the first time astronomers have ever detected so many terrestrial planets orbiting a single star. Researchers say the system is an ideal laboratory for studying alien worlds and could be the best place in the galaxy to search for life beyond Earth.
"Before this, if you wanted to study terrestrial planets, we had only four of them and they were all in our solar system," said lead author Michakl Gillon, an exoplanet researcher at the University of Lihge in Belgium. "Now we have seven Earth-sized planets to expand our understanding. Yes, we have the possibility to find water and life. But even if we don't, whatever we find will be super interesting."
The newly discovered solar system resembles a scaled-down version of our own. The star at its center, an ultracool dwarf called TRAPPIST-1, is less than a tenth the size of the sun and about a quarter as warm. Its planets circle tightly around it; the closest takes just a day and a half to complete an orbit, the most distant takes about 20 days. If these planets orbited a larger, brighter star they'd be fried to a crisp. But TRAPPIST-1 is so cool that all seven of the bodies are bathed in just the right amount of warmth to hold liquid water. And three of them receive the same amount of heat as Venus, Earth and Mars, putting them in "the habitable zone," that Goldilocks region where it's thought life can thrive.
Still, "Earthlike" is a generous term to describe these worlds. Though the planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system resemble Earth in terms of size, mass, and the energy they receive from their star, there's a lot that makes our planet livable beside being a warm rock. Further observation is required to figure out what the TRAPPIST-1 planets are made of, if they have atmospheres, and whether they hold water, methane, oxygen and carbon dioxide – the molecules that scientists consider "biosignatures," or signs of life.
"You can bet people will be rushing to take those measurements," said Elisabeth Adams, an exoplanet researcher at the Planetary Science Institute who was not involved in the study. "That's going to be fascinating to see."
Whatever secrets it may harbor, the TRAPPIST-1 system will surely be a sight to behold. Though the star is small, its nearness to the planets means that, from their perspective, it appears about three times as large as our sun. The outermost planets enjoy the daily spectacle of their neighbors passing across the sky and in front of their shared sun, each world a large dark spot silhouetted against the salmon-colored star. Its dim glow, which skews toward the red and infrared end of the light spectrum, bathes the planets in warmth and paints their skies with the crimson hues of a perpetual sunset.
Gillon and his colleagues have been interested in TRAPPIST-1 since late 2015. Using the European Southern Observatory's Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile, they sensed small dips in the star's brightness at regular intervals. These dips were caused by planets transiting – crossing between the star and Earth – and blocking some of its light. Last May, the scientists published their discovery in Nature: three rocky bodies, dubbed TRAPPIST-1b, -1c and -1d, orbited the small star, they said.
But right around the time the study was published, Gillon noticed that TRAPPIST-1d was behaving oddly. When he went to get a closer look with the Very Large Telescope, ESO's gigantic observatory in the Atacama Desert, he realized that the dip in brightness he thought came from 1d was actually caused by three planets, all transiting at the same time.
This happens only once every three years, said Julien de Wit, a planetary scientist at MIT and a co-author on the study. "The chance of catching it is less than one in a thousand," he explained. "It's funny because it's such a huge paper with amazing results, and we got it from sheer luck."
Next the team hurried to request time at the Spitzer Space Telescope, whose Earth-trailing orbit around the Sun offered an uninterrupted view of TRAPPIST-1 and its companions. During 20 days with the Spitzer telescope, the team witnessed 34 transits.
These observations "lifted the veil on the architecture of the system," as de Wit put it. Instead of three, TRAPPIST-1 had seven planets, which were renamed TRAPPIST-1b through -h in order of their distance from the star.
The scientists determined that the six inner planets are locked in an orbital resonance, meaning that lengths of their orbits are related by a ratio of whole numbers. Because of this, the bodies exert regular gravitational influences on one another. By measuring those influences, the astronomers could determine the mass of the planets, something that is impossible to figure out from transiting data alone. That in turn allowed them to loosely calculate their densities – giving a sense of how much iron, rock, water and gas the bodies contain.
The fact the planets are in orbital resonance also suggests that they formed farther out from their sun and then migrated inward, Gillon said. This makes it more likely that they will contain water in some form, since water and other volatile compounds (molecules that readily turn to gas) tend to concentrate on the outer edges of solar systems.
Coincidentally, TRAPPIST-1 is located in the constellation Aquarius – the water bearer.
For years, evidence has accumulated that the Milky Way galaxy is full of Earthlike planets. The discovery of seven such worlds around a single, faint star suggests that they may be even more common than originally thought.
Gillon and his colleagues plan to seek out similar solar systems with a new project, Search for Habitable Planets Eclipsing Ultracool Stars, or SPECULOOS. (Like Trappist beer, speculoos cookies are a Belgian delicacy. His next effort will have to be called WAFFLES.)
Meanwhile, scientists are scrambling to get a better look at the Proxima b, a rocky world that was discovered orbiting the sun's nearest neighbor, Proxima Centauri, last August.
But the TRAPPIST-1 researchers, along with several astronomers not involved with the study, say this system is our best target yet to search for extraterrestrial life. Though exoplanet scientists often focus on worlds orbiting sun-like stars, the brightness of those stars makes it difficult to spot small rocky planets. TRAPPIST-1's planets are easy to find amid its dim, cool glow. And the closeness of the system puts it within the reach of the James Webb Space Telescope, which will be able to detect atmospheric components and thermal emissions from the planets after it launches in 2018.
In the meantime, telescopes on several continents have been trained on the system to search for signs of life. Last summer, the scientists published an early analysis of the atmospheres of planets b and c using data from the Hubble Space Telescope.
"This is direct exploration of another solar system that is happening right now," said Gillon.
Planets e, f and g are the most intriguing targets for astrobiologists because of their position in TRAPPIST-1's habitable zone. But even if they turn out to be warm and wet, these worlds might not be great places to live. The planets' proximity to the star and one another means that they are probably tidally locked, like Earth's moon. One side of each planet always faces the sun, the other is stuck in constant darkness. This would make for a dramatic temperature gradient that could generate powerful winds – not exactly an Earthling's idea of a cozy home.
And Adams of the Planetary Science Institute cautioned that it's very hard to tell whether a planet is habitable from a distance. An observer outside our solar system might look at Venus, Earth and Mars and reason that the sun hosts three habitable worlds. The alien would need to travel here in person to discover that Venus is a cloudy hellscape with a runaway greenhouse effect, while Mars is a barren, frozen desert with a defunct internal dynamo.
"There are a lot of ways in which a planet could be like Earth, but not enough," Adams said.
Another major caveat, she added, is that the very idea of a "habitable world" is purely theoretical. Scientists have only one source of data on habitable planets, and that's Earth. "We don't actually know the parameters that are needed for life on another world," Adams said, "h ow much it has to look exactly like Earth, and how different life could be elsewhere."
Still, even if no life is discovered on them, the TRAPPIST-1 planets present an unprecedented new window on how solar systems work. Though each planet is more or less Earth-sized, their varying densities and distances allow for detailed comparisons of the worlds. It's almost as if someone designed an experiment in planet formation, controlling for the bodies' size.
De Wit compared the new planets to seven new languages, each offering a new vocabulary for describing their corner of the universe.
"They all have a slightly different perspective on the same story," he said, "the story of this solar system."


text:
Time is passing, i have not decided yet, which path is best for my life? there is lots of energy in human's soul and mind. all you need to do is to orient it, give it a direction, find a path to follow, a path which is best for you. i keep thinking and thinking,,
i have always been interested in "knowledge and science". so i can use my life in knowledge field. one good point about it is that it never comes to an end, there are always new things to learn, and it is challenging enough to satisfy an ambitious person like me.
Here it comes the question, "Science" is such a general word and can come in variety of fields: Mathematics, engineering, medical, psychology, social, etc. can i learn all of them? sure nobody can enter all of these fields deeply as we have short lives.


text:
Over the last few weeks I've started to suffer from Four Square fatigue. After all, Four Square is a lot of work. To get the benefits of Four Square, you need to proactively check in wherever you go. And, while each checkin requires a relatively small amount of work, in the aggregate, it takes real effort to make the most of the Four Square experience. Would it be better if Four Square just checked you in automatically any time you lingered at a location for more than 15 or 20 minutes? Or does that cross the privacy line for most of us?
The challenges of Four Square have gotten me thinking more broadly about privacy on the web. On the one hand, the less proactive input a service requires, the less friction there is in maintaining its usefulness. Automatic Four Square naturally will produce more data, on average, than does a Four Square that requires proactive behavior. And, for many, the Four Square experience would be greatly enhanced. On the other hand, when data is being passively collected by a service, there are natural privacy concerns that come with that data collection. How many of us want our every daily stop published to the Web? So perhaps automatic Four Square would turn away more users than it would attract.
This privacy vs. utility debate is not a new conversation. You may recall the uproar in the early days of the Web around personalization. There were those (perhaps there still are) who were deeply concerned about the collection and retention of data for the purpose of personalizing the online experience. Yet few of us today find it concerning to receive Amazon's product recommendations or Ticketmaster's concert reminders. In fact, if you are like me, you are more than willing to provide scads of personal data to enhance your online experience.
Personalization has evolved over time. In the early days of the Web, you had to explicitly state a set of preferences. The Internet only thought you liked the things you said you liked. Now services like Amazon and Netflix quietly collect preference data from the things you buy and watch. And, of course, ad networks collect tons of data by watching where you go on the Web, what you click on, where you linger on a page. Using this data, advertisers are increasingly sophisticated about the advertisements they choose to present to you as you wander the Web.
While there are still those who find ad targeting intrusive, if you are like me, you are happy to have ads for things you actually care about (if only spammers were as sophisticated -- or do they know something I don't about my coming erectile disfunction). As with personalization, consumer acceptance of ad targeting has been an evolution. Targeting has grown more precise, more granular and, as a result, more valuable to consumers. [1] As consumers have seen the value of that targeting, they have grown increasingly accepting of the things they had previously feared.
We have all seen that consumers are willing -- often times happy -- to trade privacy for utility. I know that I am. And, while Mark Zuckerburg's statement that privacy is a generational concern was controversial, I think he is absolutely right about that. The coming generations of consumers may not abandon the idea of privacy in its entirety, but they will certainly have very different views of the appropriate balance between privacy and utility. That balance has already clearly shifted in the direction of utility and I believe the trend will continue.
To some this will be viewed as a warning -- a cry of the coming privacy apocalypse. I don't see it that way. As technologies and standards evolve, doors open to new products and services. We are on the verge of an explosion of new ideas.
Automatic Four Square and its progeny are coming. And I, for one, am excited about that.
[1] Obviously there are extremes of everything. It is perhaps too "granular" to start seeing ads for Prozac after buying a book on depression, or ads for funerary services after sending an email about the passing of a family member. But, to my mind, businesses are ill served by crossing those lines. The marketplace will vote loud and clear -- one need look no further than Facebook's beacon program -- and keep non-market behavior in check. The advantage of markets, of course, is that they correct for evolving standards. Perhaps there will come a time when consumers consider it perfectly appropriate to receive advertisements for funerary services upon the passing of a loved one. When that time comes, there will be real utility in the coffin banner ads and consumers will be happy to see them. Why should current standards of appropriateness impede such "progress."


text:
Dependable products for a smooth flow
The metal industry is a linchpin for the vehicle manufacturing, mechanical and plant engineering sectors as well as the electrical industry and also a key supplier for production operations in the automotive, aviation, aerospace and railway transportation sectors. Your line of business is therefore of economic importance to the national economy.
As a metal producer and processor, you face constantly fluctuating raw materials prices, fierce competitive pressure and an imperative need to meet your deadlines. What's more, your customers have high expectations and persistently challenge you with new product demands.
To satisfy these requirements, every element of your engineering has to work flawlessly. We supply high-quality, low-maintenance fastening technology – to ensure that your production flows smoothly and uninterrupted.
What we offer:
- Broad-ranging sector expertise
- Outstandingly competent sales and applications consultants
- Bespoke solutions tailored to your individual needs
- In excess of 30,000 high-quality items produced in-house or by renowned manufacturers
- Continuous refinement of our products and our product range
- Various service and maintenance features
- Supreme quality


text:
John Pearce papers (part of the Social Enterprise Collection Scotland)
- Fonds
- 1973-2010
This collection is part of the Social Enterprise Collection Scotland. The collection includes John Pearce's papers dating from 1976, when he moved to Scotland, until his retirement in 2010. They include correspondence, hand annotated agendas and minutes from a variety of meetings, newspaper cuttings that Pearce found of interest, training guides (some of which he created himself), and material relating to legal structures of community and social enterprises. The papers reflect Pearce's areas of interest and expertise (such as Social Accounting and Audit), and the work of organisations that he founded and/or was a member of: Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM), Industrial Common Ownership Finance (ICOF), Scottish Co-operative Development Committee (SCDC), Commonwealth Association for Local Action in Development (COMMACT), Community Business Scotland, Scottish Community Enterprise Investment Fund. The records have been arranged into 2 series reflecting these areas of John Pearce's work:
- Social enterprise papers, 1973-2010
- Social accounting and audit (SAA) papers, 1977-2008
Pearce, John | 1942 - 2011 | social enterprise pioneer


text:
Where Are They Now (1980-1989)
Alumni from the UW-Madison Astronomy Department have moved on to positions in research, administration, and beyond. A list of Ph.D. graduates of the Department is provided below.
- Balcells, Marc C.; Ph.D.: 1989; Advisor: Hoessel; Current Position: Faculty, Institute de Astrof. De Canarias, C/n Via Lactea, S/N, La Laguna, Tenerife 38200 SPAIN
- Sorrell, Wilfred H.; Ph.D.: 1989; Advisor: Savage; Current Position: Faculty, Univ Missouri-St Louis Dept of Phys and Astron, 8001 Natural Bridge Rd, St. Louis, MO 63121-4499
- Whitney, Barbara A.; Ph.D.: 1989; Advisor: Code; Current Position: Independent Researcher, Space Science Inst., 3100 Marine St. Suite A353, Boulder, CO 80303-1058
- Murison, Marc A.; Ph.D.: 1988; Advisor: Code; Current Position: Staff Scientist, US Naval Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ
- Wood, Douglas O.; Ph.D.: 1988; Advisor: Churchwell; Current Position: Eastman Kodak Co, Scientific Imaging Systems, 4 Science Park, New Haven, CT 06473
- Danly, Laura; Ph.D.: 1987; Advisor: Savage; Current Position: Univ of Denver, Phys and Astron Dept, 2112 E. Wesley Ave., Denver, CO 80208
- Nelson, Matthew J.; Ph.D.: 1987; Advisor: Bless; Current Position: Vatican Observatory Group, Steward Observatory, 933 North Cherry Ave., Tucson, AZ 85721-0065
- Poe, Clint H.; Ph.D.: 1987; Advisor: Cassinelli; Current Position: Faculty, Mission College, 3000 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, CA 95054-1897
- Daod, Nazzeha A.; Ph.D.: 1986; Advisor: Mathis
- Nash, Ana G.; Ph.D.: 1986; Advisor: Churchwell
- Eker, Zeki; Ph.D.: 1985; Advisor: Doherty
- Wolfire, Mark G.; Ph.D.: 1985; Advisor: Cassinelli; Current Position: Associate Research Scientist, Dept of Astron, Univ of Maryland
- Fitzpatrick, Edward L.; Ph.D.: 1984; Advisor: Savage; Current Position: Assistant Professor, Dept of Astron and Astrophys, Villanova U.
- Myers, Roy V.; Ph.D.: 1984; Advisor: Nordsieck
- Lupie, Olivia L.; Ph.D.: 1983; Advisor: Nordsieck
- Odegard, Nils P.; Ph.D.: 1983; Advisor: Mathis; Current Position: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Huenemoerder, David P.; Ph.D.: 1982; Advisor: Code; Current Position: Center for Space Research, MIT
- Oliversen, Nancy A.; Ph.D.: 1982; Advisor: Anderson; Current Position: Supervisory Astronomer, Astronomical Applications Department, US Naval Obs
- Sitko, Michael L.; Ph.D.: 1980; Advisor: Savage; Current Position: Faculty, Dept of Physics, University of Cincinnati
- Waldron, Wayne L.; Ph.D.: 1980; Advisor: Cassinelli; Current Position: Emergent Information Tech., Steven Myers and Associates
- Wallenhorst, Steven G.; Ph.D.: 1980; Advisor: Cassinelli


text:
Mail Forwarding
In order to use this international forwarding service you will need to follow these steps first (before you order your goods).
You must apply for a slot with us first so that you can use this service.
To do this please click on this Link ( Apply For A Slot ) and enter the following information, your contact details, including your name, address and telephone number.
If your browser does not open your e-mail automatically, you can e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com and you must put ********mail forwarding slot**** as the subject header. Once we have received your request we will send you more details in an e-mail, such as your slot number and our terms and conditions. By using this service you are accepting the terms and conditions contained in your return e-mails. For more information please click here


text:
Monday, March 2, 2009
Giant Spider in Liverpool
The people who brought us the street theater marvel of the Sultan's Elephant recently unveiled a new miracle: a giant spider that visited Liverpool. The response was not fear, but love. (Thanks, Jason!)
More about artistic director François Delarozière and his theatrical machines here.
4 comments:
- Jon Hrubesch said...
Look at all the smiles on the people surrounding the spider. I think we all need something like that to break up the mundane routine of our lives. That's why I love painting science fiction and fantasy. It's fun to create things that are different from the things we see in our every day life.
- March 2, 2009 at 3:39 PM
- Jason Peck said...
Jon, You noticed the same thing I did, the people in the crowd are so happy. I would love to see one of these mechanical marvels in my town.
Best, Jason
- March 2, 2009 at 5:14 PM
- Kristina Carroll said...
I was lucky enough to see The Sultan's Elephant in Antwerp a few years back, and it was one of the most surreal, amazing experiences I've ever had. This group is fantastic. I do hope they come to NYC some day too.
- March 2, 2009 at 6:06 PM
- Vikki North said...
Hello Sir Artist James,
We are artist also. At least that's what they call us. You may even know us. We'd like to invite you to a member of our very Private Club. We're very selective and only an elite few are welcome. We pick you.
We even have a little 'chit chat' room. It's rightfully called Dante's Pub. But when your enter BEWARE! You are entering the abyss of the artist mind! You may not find your way out.
You're welcome to watch from afar while drinking your brew or pull up a chair and join us for a little chat. Be sure and register and then log in. After all, this is a very private club. We don't allow just any wanderer in our midst.
Don't dilly dally now! It wont cost you a pence. Check out The Artist Challenge and Dante's Pub- that is if your daring?
Farewell...until we hear from you,
Master Mike and the Pub Wench
Artist Challenge- http://www.theartistchallenge.com/
Dante's Pub - http://www.theartistchallenge.com/art-forum/
- March 2, 2009 at 7:40 PM


text:
If you have an Android smartphone and a T-mobile unlimited text plan, there's a new, free, way to browse the web. Smozzy Beta, developed by Jeff Donahue is a free app available on the Android market that is at first-glance simply a wrapper for the built-in web browser. The brilliant difference is that instead of transferring data over 3G, packets are transmitted and received entirely via text message (SMS and MMS).
So how does it work? Most URLs can be sent within the 160-character constraint of SMS (if not, they are simply broken up in multiple messages). The resulting web page is then sent over in a fairly hackish manner: the entire site is loaded on Smozzy's remote server and compressed in a ZIP file. The ZIP file is encoded as a hacked PNG image file, which is an acceptable file to be sent over MMS (in parts, if necessary). The Smozzy app simply reverses the process and displays site content.
The developer recommends only using Smozzy if you have an unlimited texting plan. Since all data is transferred over text message, you could definitely go over your message limit quickly if you don't- a bit counter-intuitive if you're the kind of person interested in saving on 3G usage.
Speed of Smozzy is purportedly usable but by no means as fast as 3G. The packaging of site data, the speed of SMS, and reliance on Smozzy's remote server are all bottlenecks. Another issue is that Smozzy does not currently support SSL encryption. This is probably an OK limitation- since data is sent via plain text and filtered through Smozzy's remote server, you probably wouldn't want to do any online banking with this anyway.
While this would be a great app for those times when 3G is unavailable, I wouldn't recommend T-mobile users immediately go out and cancel their data plans at this time. This is a hack and if T-mobile figures out how to detect its usage, I don't imagine they would hesitate sealing it up on their end. In any case, kudos to Smozzy developer Jeff Donahue for a most righteous hack. Now if you could only figure out how to package VoIP over SMS you'd really have something!
[via ExtremeTech]
Don't just think it, say it… use the Comments!
Mike Keller is PCWorld's resident iOS developer nerd. Catch Diary of a Developer (at least) every Tuesday here at GeekTech.
Like this? You might also enjoy…
- DSC DJ Sound Control: A Seriously Pimped-Out PC
- Android Now Works on HP TouchPad, Multitouch Included
- Hummingbird Brings Your Bricked Phone Back to Life
Get your GeekTech on: Twitter – Facebook – RSS | Tip us off


text:
NEW YORK -- Maria Sharapova pulled out of the US Open on Wednesday because of a right shoulder injury.
The U.S. Tennis Association announced the 2006 champion's withdrawal.
Sharapova has played only one match on tour since her second-round loss at Wimbledon in June.
"Maria Sharapova is one of the great warriors of the tennis world," USTA Executive Director and COO Gordon Smith said. "If she withdrew, there's a serious issue."
Sharapova originally was seeded third at the US Open. The USTA said 2012 Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanksa would shift from No. 4 to No. 3, and all other seeded players below her would move up a spot, too.
The USTA said Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova would become the No. 32 seed.
The draw for the year's last Grand Slam tournament is Thursday. Play begins Monday.
Sharapova's surprising exit caps a tumultuous couple of weeks for the four-time major title winner and former No. 1 player.
The Russian was sidelined by a hip injury after Wimbledon. Then she hired Jimmy Connors as her coach, an arrangement that lasted all of one match, a loss.
Sharapova last skipped the US Open in 2008, when she was off the tour for about 10 months because of surgery on her right shoulder.
She won her first major title since that operation at last year's French Open, completing a career Grand Slam.
Earlier Wednesday, former top-10 player Mardy Fish of the United States withdrew from the US Open, citing personal reasons.


text:
Paying off Student Debt!
Editor's Note: Congratulations to Melissa, Mary, and Lori for winning this week's contest!
Most of us have several different financial goals, and the way we handle our money will vary depending on which goal we think is most important. For some people, it could be paying off student loans, credit card debt, a mortgage, or paying rent. Others might focus on saving up for retirement or a child's college fund.
What is your top financial priority? Why? How do you manage your money to reflect your financial priorities?
Tell us about your top financial priority and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
We're doing three giveaways — here's how you can win!
If you're inspired to write a whole blog post OR you have a photo on flickr to share, please link to it in the comments or tweet it.
Good Luck!
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
My TOP financial priority is to pay off my mortgage ASAP.
Right now, I've planned to pay it off in 14 years but I keep budgeting to cut my costs and put all extra money (except for my emergency fund) on my mortgage. I've prioritized my mortgage my cutting my monthly costs and only buying what I need.
It's not always easy and we all have our vices but so far, it's working for me! I also write about paying off my mortgage and read other personal finance blogs about paying off the mortgage early. Both of these inspire to me keep at my goal, even though it will take YEARS!
Hopefully, I have nine more years until retirement. My top priority is to save for a home. I've been a renter my whole life, and would like something that is paid off to live in.
My financial priority is to pare down on my annual expenses and improve my retirement savings strategy. I'm 34 years old and began my retirement savings with my first on-campus college job. I tried to max out my IRA contributions each year, and in doing so created a small nest egg with the bonus of developing a good relationship with my investment banker. I still use this banker today, and he's seen me graduate, get my first job, etc. Although I've moved across the country, he still checks in with me several times each year, and continues to guide me through the uncertainties of economic changes. This year I checked in with him early on and requested his professional advice on improving my retirement strategy. It was an eye-opener.
Each year, I begin to look at next year's budget based on the current year's expenses. How much were my essential expenses like insurance, housing, transportation, etc. What were my big ticket items? How much was spent on the "I Want" category vs. "I Need" category? How much did I manage to save? Although I'm sure other people can do this faster, I take my time - months in advance as I do a self-analysis, check for better rates and deals, and re-arrange my finances to prepare for January 1st. The toughest part for me in the process is the self-analysis - it can be rather painful. Excel is my go-to software, as it's widely available and completely customizable. Once expenses are organized by list/category and even charted, you will be able to get a clearer picture of where your money is really going.
I think I would have to say right now our top priority is pay all the bills, save what we can, but saving for our family trips is a huge priority for me. Our kids learn SO much on our trips, I can't wait to take them to Europe in a few years!! (Almost done saving for that !! :D
Pay off our mortgage. Then, with the cash flow, fully fund our retirement accounts and save for a new rental property.
Good luck to all with their goals!
My top financial priority is making sure I have enough money to retire comfortably but to do so without stressing about it and while enjoying my life before retirement. I hope to retire next year.
Currently my top financial priority is to save enough money for a house of my own. Basically my money reflects this by having a CD ladder already setup for an emergency and maxing out my retirement accounts each year. That leave money in my general back accounts to be allocated towards the house goal.
Our current financial priority is to get out of the credit card debt we recently stumbled upon. Once we do that, we will be back to focusing on living within our means and paying off our vehicles.
My top financial priority right now is to begin building an emergency fund of 3-6 months income. as a single mom with 3 teenage daughters, emergencies ALWAYS happen!
My top priority right now is to pay off all my non-mortgage debts. I have two teenage boys and I want to be in a better position to be able to help with their college costs, something that won't be possible if I am spending so much on credit card debt.
My top financial priority is to pay off my student loans! Starting with the $45k in private loans, then moving on to tackle at least one of the $75k federal loans before buying a home.
At the moment, our top (biggest) long term priority is for a house; we're nearly cashflowing the cost of a wedding this year!
Many bumps in the road, and a few detours. We are getting serious about retirement.
Husband retires in 5 yrs. We will still have to work
To work to pay medical insurance. But our
Goal is to have our new house we are getting paid off in 6 yrs, Lord willing.
We have my 83yr old Father living with us now, as Mom has pasted.
Two children in College,(local,we pay). They both work and pay living expenses.
And our Son that is married, just gave us our first Grandson! We know with tightening our belts and hard work we can do this.
My biggest priority is building an emergency savings fund which equals about 3 months worth of pay. I feel like having that buffer give me peace of mind, as well as financial freedom!
Our top financial priority was paying off our house - this happened in June (woohoo!) so now we're focusing on saving for retirement. We're doing this by putting $800 in our budget and then in a separate account each month when I get paid. At the end of the year we'll transfer that money to our Roth IRAs. This is our top priority because my work doesn't have a retirement program and my wife is a full-time mom so if we want to have something when our working years are done, we have to get on it!
My top financial priority is becoming debt free. I have a car loan and student loans, and I'm working on paying off my student loans ASAP. Every free penny I come across goes towards getting rid of them! After that, I'm paying off the car, then saving everything I can for retirement.
My top priority is making sure I have saved enough for retirement.
Tweeted here: https://twitter.com/love2lovemykids/status/382559186220875776
Getting out of debt. All of my money is directed toward paying down bills. Once I'm debt free I can focus on important things like setting up an emergency fund and planning for retirement.
Top Financial Priority = Spending less than I make, and because I am not making enough, find ways to spend less and make more. So, I bicycle to a co-work space where I am building a consulting business seven days a week - and making progress. At this pace of business growth I'll be able to pay all of my bills by 2015. Frugality makes it much more likely - and luckily, I like to bicycle and know the value of good rain gear. (Hey, I live on an island north of Seattle. It rains here.)
I have been paying off debt for 5 years, it will be gone in 6 months if all goes well. Then I will focus on college savings for kids and bumping up emergency savings from 3 months to 6 months.
Right now are top goal is finishing our house without going into debt to do it! That means prioritizing materials & manpower over fun shopping.
Top priority: I guess I'd say maximizing my retirement income.
Why: So I can have more flexibility.
Money management: Right now that means job hunting, studying hard for my tax prep class, and finding (and trying out) more frugal ways to meet my needs and want.
Definitely student debt. I look forward to reallocating my money to extra mortgage payments, retirement savings and savings for a wedding and future children when those loans are paid off!
Paying off credit cards! I recently got a new job and have been working more hours to earn more money to put toward the debt.
Right now it is to have enough money to pay our bills and not running out of money before our next paycheck. My goal in the future is to pay off all of our school and mortgage debt, and to be able to fix everything that needs fixed with our house and cars.
Right now our financial priority is lowering all expenses we can to save cash for home renovations.
One year's worth of expenses saved in emergency fund. House is paid for. 529 has enough to pay for 4 years expected cost at a state university. We also have extra money set aside for graduate school. So, our top priority is retirement savings. It has always been a top priority, it is just our number one priority now. We are on-track to retire in 10 years or less. My wife is pushing for less.
My top financial priority is to build enough of a cushion so that we can take advantage of opportunities in life, whether that is education, investment or something else. By living below our means; budgeting for savings, retirement, and expenses; taking advantage of budget billing for utilities; and looking for opportunities to spend less on what we already buy, we can put extra money toward the mortgage and 529s and retirement so that we can be debt free, our kids can have opportunities, and we can get to some form of retirement.
Paying off our credit card and increasing our savings and college funds four our 1 yr old twins. I've become a SAHM since the babies were born last summer and have been struggling with the culture shock of living on one salary. Savings are for a down payment on a new house (currently renting) but the biggest deal is how to KEEP the credit card balance at zero and still feed and clothe and have some kind of Christmas and birthdays, vacation (?!)... Not used to the debt and don't want to become accustomed to it!
Retirment is my top financial priority. I would like to enjoy life and volunteer in my community, so I want to be able to walk away from my job knowing that I will be ok. I have a IRA, a 403B and I am also putting away money into CDs and a savings account.
Save, save, save so I can get new windows and a new bathroom. Pay of my mortgage, all while applying for a job
Paying down debt and then financial independence. Taking the long term approach by optimizing monthly expenses one at a time. Switched from costly data plan to Ting. Got a great deal on a leased Nissan Leaf which after tax credits and gas savings actually puts money in our account every month compared to the older car we are selling. And so on and so on...
My top five priorities, in order, but not entirely distinct are:
1. Finding effective ways to stick to my budget each month
2. Saving for retirement
3. Paying for my girls' college funds
4. Paying off my mortgage
5. Saving for a new car
Paying off the rest of my CC debt and then setting aside about $200/month to do some fun blessing of people with that money. I really want to help out some community members that are struggling. I really want to do this anomalously. What FUN it will be to help out neighbors, and family without them knowing it is coming from me.
My financial priority is saving enough money to be able to cut back to part-time employment in 20 years!
Our top financial priority right now is increasing income. My husband was laid off, and I am starting a new business venture to try to pay our bills. Once we earn more than our monthly bills total, we will be working on paying off my student loans.
My financial priorities are to get in charge of my spending and be more assertive about discounts or funny prices when buying.
For example, chicken breasts were BOGO free at our usual grocery store. They had taken away the price on the chicken, so I assumed it was the usual price (6.99/bag). That was my first mistake. At the register, the price for 1 bag came up $12.99. I should have just told the cashier that I didn't want them, since I wasn't saving any money, but I was too embarrassed and didn't want to hold up the line. I went to the customer service and they said I couldn't return them and couldn't do anything for me, even when I showed them the receipt from the week before that had the chicken for cheaper. If I had been more assertive with the cashier, I could have not gotten the chicken at all.
My top priority is eliminating any & all debt in my life. I have a personal loan from last year & I'm on a payment plan with IRS for back taxes. Eliminating this debt is important to me because not only is it stressful to have but the interest rates on both are OUT OF THIS WORLD.
To accomplish being debt free by February 2014 (my personal goal) I only buy what I can afford to pay in cash. I also cut back on eating out & going to bar for the drinks. Nothing wrong with cooking my own dinner & having friends over my place instead. I still go out and enjoy myself just not every weekend. Plenty of fun free options available.
So far so good!
My top financial priority is giving back to God out of what He's blessed me with. Before paying any bills, I set aside 10% for my local church, and also a monthly allotment for the children I sponsor through Compassion International. After that, my priority is the basics - food, housing, etc. I do think it's important to have an emergency fund, too!
My top financial priority is saving for retirement as much as I can now so I have a comfortable living later.
Our top financial priority right now is to pay off some medical debts and the car loan so that we can start saving to get a house!
We're trying to find extra ways to make money, watch the budget carefully, and do what we can to throw money at it. Every bit helps.
Our priority is paying down our debts. We hopefully only have a year left until we'll simply be paying bills like electric or cable. After that, I'm hoping to roll the savings into land payment and a new car fund for hubby.
I just made my top goal to be debt-free except for my house. Yeah!!!! Now my goal is to pay off the house in 10 years or less instead of the remanding 27 Years.
My top priority is putting some money into savings every month...so related to that, not blowing our budget. :-P Sorry, clearance endcaps at Target.
As a single girl 32 year old, I want to make sure that i have enough savings in my retirement. I know if that aligns, I will be able to raise a family as there are always ways to feed people for a certain price (in a healthy way) but if you do not prepare for the time when you are unable to work, you will regret till the end of life.
Retirement savings top the list--but lately we've been encouraging the kids to pick up the coins they find and put those in their college funds.
Right now, my top priority is to try to reduce our monthly costs...so that we are not barely making it thru each month. I would love to be able to start a savings to cover unexpected things!
First goal is to save at least six months of living expenses - I'm about halfway there.
Second goal is save enough money for a vacation to remember that I'm planning for next summer.
Third goal is to eliminate unnecessary expenses, starting with cable TV and getting rid of a few other subscription services I don't use enough to justify.
Fourth goal is to come up with one or two side income streams that would help with all of the above.
There are more, but thanks for asking the question, made me think and write down some answers!
My top financial priority is saving up for retirement. We already have a emergency fund and the girls college fund set up.


text:
A study found in the 2013 issue of Chemotherapy found that lauric acid (coconut oil is about 50% lauric acid) killed over 93% of human colon cancer cells (Caco-2) after 48 hours of treatment.
Intriguingly, the lauric acid poisoned the cancer cells by simultaneously unleashing profound oxidative stress while strongly reducing their levels of glutathione (which is precisely what the cancer cells needed to protect themselves from the increased oxidative stress).
Coconut Oil Cancer Treatment?
While we are only now discovering coconut oil's full anti-cancer potential, its many health benefits have already been well established through medical research. It naturally eliminates many viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. It helps digestion and liver metabolism, decreases inflammation, and promotes healthier skin and faster wound healing when applied topically.
It may also be effective against diabetes. It has been shown to raise levels of the good cholesterol HDL in women, improve their LDL: lassHDL ratio, and resulted in superior weight loss and stomach loss compared to soybean oil.
Coconut oil is now being used in medical trials for improving cholesterol in patients with chronic heart disease, in fighting Alzheimer's, and for improving high blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Coconut oil is unique in that it is about 50% lauric acid, a medium-chained triglyceride that is otherwise very hard to find in our diets (palm kernel oil is also about 50% lauric acid). Interestingly, lauric acid makes up about 2% of the fat in cow's milk but 6% of the fat in human milk, meaning that humans may have a naturally higher need for this fatty acid.
These studies don't necessarily indicate coconut is the cure of cancer. What it means is that nature has provided numerous natural methods to fight disease. The more research we can do and the more information we can share with others provides us opportunities to possibly discover cures and preventive measures using Mother Nature instead of simply putting our faith in the medical communities singular approach to disease.


text:
From: $125.00 - $175.00
To reserve this for your party,
Call 916-281-9430.
Gloves, W/out gloves
There are no reviews yet.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Your review *
Name *
Email *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.


text:
Our handy Quick Search pages feature our most popular hotel types, helping you search and book in a jiffy. Take a look:
| Family Friendly | Romantic |
Trusted by
thousands of travellers
50,000+ rooms booked every month
An Edwardian mansion set in 1000 acres of Northumbrian countryside, Slaley Hall is crowned by a spectacular Japanese Garden and 2 championship Golf Courses. A unique location with fabulous interiors, 142 bedrooms equipped with modern facilities and fantastically comfortable beds. Each room has air conditioning and a large writing desk, all elegantly decorated and have a seating area, and many have golf course views.
Very Good
32 Customer reviews
Matfen Hall is a magnificent, privately owned, country house hotel set in 300 acres of parkland in the heart of rural Northumberland. The hotel has 53 individually decorated bedrooms, award winning & leisure facilities, 27 hole golf course, fine dining restaurant and Go Ape high wire adventure course. Despite its tranquillity, the hotel is within easy reach of Newcastle city centre, Newcastle Airport, the A1 and A69.
13 Customer reviews
Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club is set in 450 acres of grounds and nestled within the Northumberland National Park. It is an ideal location for all aspects of life. Boasting a Championship length 18 hole Golf course, Vital Beauty Spa and Leisure complex, all within grounds that are perfect for your wedding, corporate team building or just some "Me" time, Whilst still only being 30 minutes away from "Shopping" in Newcastle City Centre or the Airport.
14 Customer reviews
Ideally situated in the stunning Northumberland countryside, just off the A1 and a short drive to the coast and castles. The Blue Bell Hotel dates back to the 1700's and is steeped in history. A beautiful light and airy restaurant, informal bistro and friendly bar where both guests and locals mingle, plus 28 en-suite bedrooms and gorgeous sun terrace with private gardens, The Blue bell Hotel has it all.
Very Good
36 Customer reviews
Located 8 miles from historic Alnwick and perfect for exploring the Northumberland countryside and coastline, this magnificent 4 Red Star AA rated country house offers extensive spa and leisure facilities, luxurious accommodation and fine dining. Originally built in 1818, the Hotel has been lovingly refurbished and great care has been taken to preserve the many wonderful period features including an impressive grand staircase, beautiful woodwork, paintings and roaring log fires. Standing within its own private 10 acre estate, the delightfully tranquil surroundings provide an idyllic setting for those seeking an indulgent retreat.
13 Customer reviews
Delightful ground floor accommodation . Large double room with 5ft bed,40inch tv ,dvd /cd player,hair dryer,comfy chairs,luxury en-suite with restored roll top bath,twin sinks and large double head shower all tastefully decorated. There is ample parking on large gated gravelled drive.
58 Customer reviews
The Victoria Hotel, is a welcoming, AA 3 Star hotel that overlooks the village green in the heart of historic Bamburgh. The village is overlooked by magnificent Bamburgh Castle which has featured in many historical films. Both Holy Island and The Farne Islands are visible from its ramparts.
Very Good
33 Customer reviews
Genuine 14th castle set in a 12-acre woodland estate with brush-mown lawns restored to a magnificent and comfortable hotel. Langley is perfect for discovering the delights of Hadrian's Wall and other local attractions. The exclusive nature of the castle makes Langley the perfect destination to be pampered in unique surroundings.
10 Customer reviews
The Craster Arms has been serving locals and tourists alike since 1818 offering a true Northumbrian welcome to all its guests. Providing free wi-fi in public areas and serving food all day from breakfast to late evening snacks with local produce including seafood landed at nearby Seahouses featuring heavily on the menu. Our rooms are large, two of which feature seperate lounge areas ideal for families.
22 Customer reviews
Morpeth Lodge (formerly cottage view guest house) offers 18 en-suite rooms and is just two minutes walk from Morpeth town centre. Morpeth Lodge, centrally situated is only 2 minutes walk from the famous Sandersons Arcade the 30 million pound new shopping centre where Marks and Spencers overlooks an abundance of quality shops. Morpeth Lodge is conveniently only 2 minutes walk from Morpeth bus station which is served by many long-distance and local bus services. Morpeth is an ideal touring base for Northumberland. Among historical landmarks in the town are a free-standing 17th-century clock tower, a grand town hall originally designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, a 13th-century chapel called The Chantry which is now the tourist information centre and Collingwood House the Georgian home of Admiral Lord Collingwood. Today the town and the county's history and culture is celebrated at the annual Northumbrian Gathering.This thriving market town is just 15 miles from Newcastle, 30 minutes from the MetroCentre and within easy reach of the region's beautiful coastline and historic castles. Morpeth Lodge has its own private floodlit car park at the back of the building. Morpeth Lodge offers en-suite Double, twin and single rooms (with freesat). Room amenities include Free Wi Fi, Freeview TV and tea and coffee making facilities. "When booking can you kindly give an estimated time of arrival" Thank You
Priding itself on its warm and friendly 'Northern Hospitality', the George Hotel is set on the banks of the North Tyne in a beautiful setting overlooking Chesters Roman Bridge and Hadrian's Wall beyond. Surrounded by beautiful gardens and good walking, the Hotel boasts open fires, friendly staff and locally sourced and freshly prepared food. Five miles from Hexham, voted Britain's most picturesque market town by Country Life magazine, the Hotel is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a short break.
15 Customer reviews
Nestled in the picturesque Northumberland countryside, close to the Town of Bellingham, this striking Country House Hotel offers award winning cuisine, a quaint riverside location, including an indoor heated swimming pool, sauna and superb river fishing. Each of the 28 en-suite guestrooms have their own individual charm and character, with a combination of traditional yet elegant décor and comfortable furnishings they offer an ideal retreat for those looking for a stress-free night's sleep. Award winning, gourmet dining combined with friendly, efficient service creates a unique gastronomic experience at the Riverdale Hall Hotel Restaurant.
Welcome to The Northumberland Arms, a beautiful Bar and Restaurant with Rooms by the River Coquet in the heart of Northumberland. Situated approximately one mile from the A1, perfectly positioned for direct access North & South; lies the idyllic village of Felton. The Northumberland Arms was built in the 1820's by Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland as a Coaching Inn and has now been fully renovated to an extremely high standard.
Very Good
2 Customer reviews
Situated in the heart of the historic town of Alnwick, this charming 300 year old coaching inn retains many authentic period features that make it as popular today as it ever was. The White Swan has 56 en-suite bedrooms decorated to an impeccable standard, producing a range of Classic Standard, Classic Superior and Classic Suite rooms with LCD TVs and DVD players. The Hardy's Bistro offers everything from a latte to contemporary cuisine, the hotel offers a superb setting whether you're visiting for a relaxing break or a corporate event.
Very Good
13 Customer reviews
The Joiners Arms is your very own village inn; a haven for lovers of fresh, locally sourced food served up with a contemporary flourish and drinkers of all tastes, from crazy cocktails to comforting real ales. Plus, we're big into families, so kids get to eat, rest and play with everyone else. The Joiners Arms is lively, friendly and a little bit quirky, the perfect place to hang out when you're not engaged in spectacular coastal adventures or hiding out in your luxe Northumberland boutique bedroom.
1 Customer reviews
Run by owners Val and Keith Anderson, the four star Butterchurn Guest House in the heart of the village of Otterburn provides a warm welcome and friendly family atmosphere. The large stone built house offers excellent year round accommodation. It is an ideal base for those wishing to explore the unspoilt and historic landscapes of Northumbria.
The Beach House is family run and is praised for its relaxed "home from home" atmosphere, which the owners, Malcolm and Hazel, have striven to create. In its idyllic location, the Beach House is set back about 60metres from one of the most beautiful stretches of heritage coastline that Northumberland has to offer. The golden sands stretch to the neighbouring village of Bamburgh and beyond, where one of the most magnificent castles in England can be explored.
Very Good
108 Customer reviews
Built in 1078, this elegant Northumbrian country house hotel is nestled in 32 acres of tranquil grounds and offers luxurious accommodation, award-winning dining, free Wi-Fi and parking. This historic property has been beautifully restored with original features such as oak panelling, stained-glass windows and open fireplaces cultivating an ambience of elegance and warmth. Fronted by beautiful terraced lawns and surrounded by woodland, the grounds include a large stretch of river and a private lake, perfect for scenic walks or a spot of fishing.
Very Good
28 Customer reviews
The Sun Hotel is set directly opposite the shadow of the dramatic ruins of the 12th Century castle, resting within the winding loop of the River Coquet. The hotel portrays all the charm of a 17th Century coaching Inn. Offering superb en suite accommodation all rooms include tea/coffee making facilities, flat screen television with free view channels and DVD player.
11 Customer reviews
Nestled in the quaint town of Bellingham, surrounded by the stunningly scenic Northumberland countryside. This family run hotel is just 40 minutes' drive from Alnwick Castle and offers free Wi-Fi, free parking, comfortable accommodation and delicious cuisine. Recently refurbished, the Georgian era hotel has been updated, renewed and refreshed, yet still retains the unique allure of its past.
3 Customer reviews
In the heart of the village of Warkworth, this 18th-century coaching inn offers 3-star hotel accommodation less than a mile from the Northumberland coast. There is some private parking on site but also free parking in the village square located to the rear of the hotel. Warkworth is a small, charming village nestled in a loop of the River Coquet.
Very Good
27 Customer reviews
Marshall Meadows - a lovely Georgian mansion that stands in 15 acres of beautifully mature gardens and woodland, near the doorway between England and Scotland. Elegantly and carefully decorated, with fine sash windows overlooking the gardens, the hotel has a relaxed and tranquil atmosphere. Almost as if you were staying with friends.
Very Good
19 Customer reviews
The Battlesteads is a friendly, family run hotel and is ideally placed for exploring Hadrian's Wall, Kielder and Border Reiver country. Situated in the quiet village of Wark within 100yds of the River North Tyne. Originally built as a farmstead in 1747, this four-star Inn and Restaurant features a cosy bar with open fire in the winter and a sunny conservatory within a secret walled beer-garden.
2 Customer reviews
A small, family run pub within easy distance of Ashington, Morpeth, Cramlington & Newcastle. We are very close to the coast and have many golf courses close by making us an ideal base for those visiting for business, playing golf or wishing to explore beautiful Northumberland. All rooms are en-suite and have tea/coffee making facilities, television, hair dryer and gas central heating.
A warm welcome awaits at the No1 High Street Hotel and Wine Lounge in the beautiful location of Wooler in Northumberland. Our lovely building is steeped in history and our fantastic quirky rooms are an ideal retreat after a long day walking in the Cheviot Hills No1 Hotel is a small hotel in the heart of Wooler. built in the late 1600's it is one if not the oldest buildings in Wooler.
Very Good
20 Customer reviews
The Bakehouse offers quality en-suite bed and breakfast, centrally located in the old part of Seahouses, just a stones throw from the picturesque harbour and shoreline. This beautiful property is the ideal coastal retreat. Beautifully restored, furnished and equipped to high standards with attractive contemporary and traditional touches.
27 Customer reviews
With such a wealth of natural beauty in the area, the Purdy Lodge merely adds the finishing touches of good food and accommodation to your visit to Northumberland. Fine food, great beers and wines, stunning views and friendly, efficient service. Welcome to the finest lodge style accommodation in the land! Purdy Lodge was built in 1994 and offers twenty en-suite bedrooms with the convenience of an in-house Bar & Restaurant.
Very Good
9 Customer reviews
The Links Hotel in Seahouses is a 2 star hotel. The hotel offers superb en suite accommodation and has a public lounge bar and restaurant. The hotel is central to Seahouses, two minutes walk to the bustling harbour where boat trips to the Farne Islands depart and is blessed with beautiful beaches and scenery.
Very Good
15 Customer reviews
The Queens Head Inn lies in the centre of the Northumbrian village of Rothbury in the heart of the Coquet Valley. Within 1 mile of the Queens is CRAGSIDE House and Gardens. Cragside was the first house to be entirely lit by hydro-electric power and the gardens are the biggest rockery in the world.
Very Good
12 Customer reviews
The Blue Bell Inn, Crookham, is set in some of North East England's most spectacular countryside. Marvel at the views in the Cheviot Hills, take in the dramatic Northumberland coastline or make the short hop over to the beautiful Scottish Borders. We're sure once you've visited Northumberland you'll only want to spend more time here, so why not stay a few days and discover what the region has to offer.
Very Good
15 Customer reviews
This attractive Georgian house, once owned by the third Lord Derwentwater, now offers today's visitor a rare retreat for true relaxation, along with a central point for venturing through the delights of North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. Relax in the gardens or in the comfortable lounge and adjacent library. For those seeking the simple pleasures of walking - the sandy shore offers mile upon mile of beautiful scenery.
Lorna & Mark are excellent hosts providing a home from home atmosphere and have invested much in creating a Country Dining Inn with Boutique accommodation at The Punch Bowl. Ideally situated in a quiet village in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, good walking and cycling or fishing on the Derwent Reservoir or Angling Club waters provide the guest with a multitude of choices to occupy the day. In the evening the excellent kitchen provides wholesome food with a twist, alongside a range of Cask conditioned ales and a recently extended wine list.
4 Customer reviews
The Black Swan has been standing since the 18th Century - believed by many historians to be the oldest pub in Alnwick. We want to do justice to such a special building and historical legacy by making The Black Swan a truly special pub. We take great care to keep the charm and beauty of the structure while offering a modern, casual and friendly experience.
Very Good
5 Customer reviews
From the moment you step inside The Pheasant Inn you'll be treated to the warmest of welcomes. Found in the heart of the Northumberland National Park near Kielder Water, The Pheasant Inn is a 4 Star, Silver Award, Country Inn with Bed and Breakfast, offering comfortable accommodation, hearty home cooked food, good beers and wines. All of our guest rooms are en-suite and located around a quiet courtyard garden.
Very Good
8 Customer reviews
The Black Bull Inn is a Visit England 4 Star Rated traditional coaching inn located on the main street of Wooler, close to the market town of Alnwick within Northumberland. Well situated for exploring the numerous historic castles within Northumberland, the Black Bull Inn provides an excellent base for exploring Northumberland. Alnwick with its famous castle is just 12 miles away and the stunning Bamburgh Castle is around 10 miles away.
Very Good
25 Customer reviews
Alnwick Youth Hostel is located in the centre of the medieval market town of Alnwick in North Northumberland. Once the town's Court House built in 1856, today the accommodation offered by Alnwick Youth Hostel is somewhat less austere. Its town centre location makes it ideal for a visit to historic Alnwick Castle, the Medieval home of the Dukes of Northumberland which had a starring role in the early Harry Potter films, as well as the neighbouring Alnwick Garden, created by the Duchess of Northumberland.
2 Customer reviews
Top chef Tony Binks took over the 1870s pub in 2006. Already voted "Destination Restaurant of the Year," the pub sits at the heart of Barrasford village in the North Tyne valley. Tony's cooking style is traditionally English with French influences, a homage to his friend and mentor, international cuisinier Albert Roux, who pays the occasional visit.
13 Customer reviews
The Village inn is a family run, family friendly country Inn. We pride ourselves on the high level of customer service and a lively, enjoyable atmosphere. We offer traditional Northumberland food, locally sourced and fresh daily.
Very Good
16 Customer reviews
The Roxburgh offers family friendly B&B; accommodation near the beach. Berwick is ideal as a base to explore the borders area - nearby there are towns and villages such as Alnwick, Seahouses, Bamburgh and Kelso to visit. Edinburgh and Newcastle are only about 1 hour by car or 40mins by train.
Very Good
33 Customer reviews
The Coach and Horses Inn is set in the beautiful market town of Hexham which provides an array of shopping and cultural facilities including both high street shops and a number of independent retailers, weekly markets, a theatre and a cinema. We have a large beer garden which families can also enjoy, a comfortable bar area and five en-suite bedrooms consisting of one double room, three twin rooms and one single. We are ideally situated as we have the convenience of a thriving market town but are also close to the Northumberland Area of Outstanding Beauty and the Cheviot Hills as well as numerous historical sites such as Hadrians Wall, Vindalanda and the Robin Hood Tree (Sycamore Gap) to name but a few.
At The County Hotel we will pride ourselves in delivering a great customer experience. The County Hotel is located in Hexham. You will be able to enjoy relaxing in our traditional bar with open fire or dine in our restaurant .
Very Good
31 Customer reviews
Nestled by the Cheviot Hills in the quaint town of Wooler, this family-run former Coaching Inn offers a welcoming ambiance with cosy log fires, seasonal cuisine, stunning scenery, free Wi-Fi and parking. Originally built in the 17th Century by the Earl of Tankerville, it has a long history of providing comfort and warmth to travellers wishing to explore the beauty of the Northumbrian countryside. To this day, the hotel has retained this traditional spirit of hospitality and has garnered a fantastic reputation for its friendly and helpful service.
Very Good
22 Customer reviews
The Old School is the oldest property in the village of Scremerston, 3 miles south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and five minutes from the delightful Northumberland coast. This stylish and comfortable bed & breakfast is easy to reach by car, just two minutes off the A1 half-way between Newcastle and Edinburgh, both 60 miles away. Berwick-upon-Tweed, with its shopping, pubs and restaurants is just three miles north.
14 Customer reviews
The Black Bull is a Luxury Hotel, situated in the picteresque village of Wark. Visitors to the Hotel will find themselves surrounded by the fantastic scenery of the beautiful Tyne Valley, and only a stones throw away from one of the wider stretches of the Upper River Tyne. Wark lies on a particularly beautiful stretch of the river North Tyne, twelve miles north of Hexham and fourteen south of Kielder Water.
3 Customer reviews
The Duke of Wellington Inn is nestled in the Tyne valleys village of Newton just off the A69 near Corbridge, within easy access to Newcastle, Hadrian's Wall Country, Hexham and Northumberland's National Park. The inn has recently reopened following an extensive refurbishment. The new décor reflects the traditional country inn history but with a modern twist.
7 Customer reviews
Our warm & welcoming staff will happily serve you a selection of quality cask ales, great wines and premium lagers in our cosy bars. Alternatively you can relax and enjoy quality home cooking in either our restaurant or bar areas. Wherever you choose to eat you can be assured of freshly prepared food using locally sourced produce of the highest standard.
Self Contained luxury Bed and Breakfast apartment(Breakfast Pack Provided) This fabulous property is part of the Fishing Boat Inn, a seaside pub/restaurant, with magnificent panoramic sea views and a location virtually on the beach. The pub has an excellant restaurant serving lunch and dinner, guests can sit out and admire the wonderful panoramic coastal views on the grass by the sandy beach just outside. There are outstanding walks leading north to Craster/Bamburgh and south to Alnmouth, the property has just been completed to very high standards with contemporary and coordinated furnishings.
Very Good
4 Customer reviews
The Dyke Neuk Inn, located in the little village of Meldon near Morpeth(5 MILES OUT ), is a stone built bed and breakfast offering fantastic views of Northumberland. Owned by the Forster family since July 2007 by the welcoming Forster family, this inn is a delightful place to eat, drink and sleep, as it offers a lot of character. With the nearby Bolam Lake and Wallington Hall attracting visitors from all over the country, the Dyke Neuk Inn is used to catering for all types of guests. Dogs are also welcome in the bar. Inside The Dyke Neuk Inn, décor is of a quality feel, with slate floors and stone walls in the pub and restaurant. Upstairs, the 4 star B & B has been recently refurbished to a very high standard and the 4 en-suite rooms are all very comfortable. The Dyke Neuk Inn derives its' business mainly from customer recommendations, as most of our customers come to visit us time and time again for our lovely accommodation and quality food. Morpeth's central Northumberland location as an ideal base from which to explore the entire county. As well as having its own range of attractions, accommodation and entertainment, Morpeth is convenient for the city centre attractions of Newcastle upon Tyne. PLEASE NOTE WE SERVE FOOD 7 DAYS A WEEK MON TO SAT TILL 9PM BUT ONLY 8PM ON SUNDAYS(and only roast on sunday).
The ship Inn is located in the village of Wylam which is close to Hadrian's wall and George Stephenson's cottage. We are situated 8 miles from the city center of Newcastle Upon Tyne and 5 miles from the Metrocenter which is one of Europe's biggest shopping centers. Newcastle Airport is 5 miles drive and we also have Close House Hotel and Golf Course just half a mile away.
7 Customer reviews
Hetton Law Shepherds Hut B&B; is the ideal location from which to explore both Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. It sits in its own private area, newly constructed and finished to a high standard, providing all the comforts you will need to enjoy your stay. The accommodation sleeps two, has an en suite shower room with under floor heating, a comfy bed, log burner, tea and coffee making facilities.
2 Customer reviews
Our handy Quick Search pages feature our most popular hotel types, helping you search and book in a jiffy. Take a look:
| Family Friendly | Romantic |
Alnwick Hotels
Hexham Hotels
Morpeth Hotels
Northumberland National Park Hotels
Berwick upon Tweed Hotels
Bamburgh Hotels
Seahouses Hotels
Hotels in Cumbria
Corbridge Hotels
Otterburn Hotels
Wooler Hotels
Craster Hotels
Hotels in Dorset
Hotels in Northumberland
Rothbury Hotels
Ponteland Hotels
Alnwick Castle Hotels
Brinkburn Priory Hotels


text:
This is the main page for the Fedora Badges FAD. A 2019 Badges FAD aims to increase contributions to the Fedora Badges stack.
At a glance:
- Location: Red Hat Czech, Purkyňova 111, 621 00 Brno, CZ
- Dates: Monday, January 21st - Wednesday, January 23rd, 2018
Logic model
The purpose of the Badges FAD is accomplish the following:
- More manageable workflow
- Correct and improve badges not adhering to style guidelines
- New documentation for on-boarding to both design and development
- Outreachy intern to work on Fedora Badges stack
- Determining badge policy for what gets badge-ified and what doesn't
- Mission: Increase contributions to Fedora Badges.
- Vision: Implement short and long term strategies to keep Fedora Badges relevant and a useful tool to the Fedora Project as a whole.
Why this mission and vision?
- Continue to attract new contributors with relevant experience
- Attract contributions for newer technology / areas inside the Fedora Project via Badges
- To increase engagement from the existing community
- To maintain a light hearted atmosphere and aspect to the Fedora Project
Primary goals
Primary goals are our most urgent tasks that set the minimum bar for what we want to accomplish.
More manageable workflow
- Goal: Simplify team workflow and improve response time / turnarounds on new tickets
- Success metric: Reducing number of open tickets
Some tickets need feedback from both developers and designers. Getting these people in the same room together allows us to identify blockers to solve a ticket or close it out. This directly leads to reducing the backlog of over 150 tickets opened by Fedora community members.
The next objective is to devise a more effective process to keep on top of new issues. We want to revise the existing review process and possibly adapt agile practices into our workflow. Meeting in-person gives us a unique opportunity to adopt a new system that works for "both sides of the house" – the developers / sysadmins and the designers.
New documentation for on-boarding to both design and development
- Goals:
- Reviving old content by porting it to a Fedora Docs site
- Creating new content for on-boarding and involving new contributors.
- Success metrics:
- Short-term: Number of new pages published on our existing docs page
- Long-term: Retaining more new contributors
Historically, Fedora Badges interacts with many first-time contributors, especially in the design part of our project. For some, it is an entry point to Fedora Design and contributing design skills to Fedora. It is a powerful medium to attract that audience to Fedora. However, our on-boarding story isn't great. There's no formal process to become a maintainer or reviewer. It's unclear how to contribute as a sysadmin even for those who have the interest and skill. In the FAD, working on this goal means we look at the "Badges governance" model, and how we can better involve more contributors with the maintenance of Fedora Badges. The output of this discussion is supporting documentation.
Additionally, several valuable resources, like a style guide, were completed in a 2014 OPW / Outreachy. These resources are extremely useful for designers to understand how to make a badge and use consistent style in all badges. However, after the Trac => Pagure migration, this content was not migrated to a more visible place. Surfacing this content from the archives and getting it published is helpful to avoid the issues we have today with non-compliant badge artwork being pushed.
Outreachy intern to work on Fedora Badges stack
- Goal: Plan a Winter 2019 Outreachy internship for Fedora Badges stack, preferably for UI/UX development
- Success metrics:
- Short-term: "Game plan" for where to source mentorship time and resources, define concrete goals for duration of one internship
- Long-term: Improved UI/UX around Fedora Badges
Since Fedora Badges does not receive a significant amount of paid developer time, driving a UI/UX development internship across a shared pool of mentors appears like the best option to push for innovation in this space. The bandwidth of each individual contributor to Fedora Badges is thin, but split across existing contributors and with a concrete, well-defined blueprint for the internship, we believe it is both doable and sustainable. In the spirit of healthy experimentation encouraged by the Fedora Council, we hope to use Outreachy as a "trial experience" to see if this is a more sustainable model for code contributions to Fedora Badges.
A new internship focused on UI/UX development around Fedora Badges is helpful given its wide use and popularity. People love Fedora Badges, but the user interface around them is not exciting. It's not modern or up-to-date by today's standards. Instead of drawing more people in, the interface can push people away, especially designers. To attract more design contributions, we believe Fedora Badges should be a model of excellent design as it is a gateway for new contributions.
Secondary goals
Secondary goals are other important tasks that are valuable to discuss in person, but are not "mission critical" for the success of our FAD. The depth of discussion on secondary goals depends on our progress with primary goals.
Correct and improve badges not adhering to style guidelines
- Goal:
- Make corrections to non-compliant badge artwork and push changes
- Identify artwork that could use improvement to elevate standard of design
- Success metric:
- Option A: More contributors helping with these tasks
- Option B: More / all pushed badges adhere to style guidelines
This goal has a best case and worst case scenario.
Best case, we define a set of criteria for why existing badges don't adhere to the style guideline and why. We come up with a template in the FAD we can reuse and apply for future scenarios to make "good first issue"-type of tickets. These would be great entry-level tasks for a new contributor to get their feet wet. Ideally, we can drive these corrections through new tickets filed for each badge with incorrect artwork.
Worst case, the corrections are made manually at the FAD and pushed live then. If this scenario happens, this does provide a benefit of being a "practice run" of a new workflow and offers 1x1 mentorship for all core contributors to practice different roles (e.g. learning how to make a small correction to a badge in Inkscape, how to make a pull request to update badge artwork in Pagure).
With either option, the end result is that our published badges better adhere to the style guide. The Fedora brand is better represented and the themes of Fedora Badges are clear to new designers. When fewer mistakes are out in the wild, it also makes it easier for new contributors to avoid making mistakes by copying an existing badge's artwork.
Determining badge policy for what gets badge-ified and what doesn't
- Goal: Guiding principles for deciding what becomes a badge and what doesn't
- Success metrics:
- Faster turnaround time on complex ticket suggestions
- Integrating Fedora Badges as part of the workflow of other parts of Fedora
- Better experience for people submitting new badge ideas (i.e. people getting more answers like "yes that's awesome, let's make it")
In the FAD, we would use this time to define a loose set of criteria for what are badge suggestions we want to encourage and ones we want to avoid. Then, this criteria creates a framework for triagers to quickly determine if a badge is possible or not. It directly helps response time on tickets because people get faster answers if their ideas are viable. Complex ideas should get faster responses.
Additionally, by providing visible guidelines for new badges, it should mean a better experience for people submitting new ideas. If the expected guidelines for new badges is communicated clearly, we should receive less tickets where we have to reject and close them (which generally can be a negative and off-putting experience for a new contributor). We want to create more situations where new ideas see the light of day, so people can see their ideas become reality.
Part of this conversation includes looking how to incorporate Badges into untouched and new aspects of Fedora, as well as a long term strategy to continue this integration. If we do this right, it should increase more creative and interesting Badge suggestions too, especially for tools and parts of our project where Fedora is innovating or experimenting.
- Is this realistic to accomplish?
- Primary goals and secondary goals are intentionally separated. Primary goals represent the minimum amount of output for the FAD to be successful. Secondary goals are needs we identified and it is ideal if we can cover them, but they may not be completed. If the secondary goals are not completed, this FAD would still be successful. Best case scenario, we cover everything and accomplish all proposed goals.
- Does everyone need to be in the same room for this to happen?
- We believe yes. Most Fedora Badges contributors are volunteers or work on it when paid development time allows. Communication between designers and developers is penalized by our existing workflow. To build long-term success for Fedora Badges, we need these people together in the same room.
- Are there enough developers to support a development internship?
- Most of the work for this FAD is process management and workflow. Focusing on these areas lets us scale and better use existing contributor time more effectively. The folks working on Fedora Badges today do not have the benefit of a full-time developer to support these projects. To sustain long-term, valuable contributions, we recognize a need to innovate and be creative to attract developer interest. Taking time to define clear goals for an internship and a roadmap for what it looks like is one strategy to attract new development love.
- If this is a question you have, consider this counter-question: how can we make Fedora Badges stack exciting and cool to contribute to again?
- What happens if this FAD does not happen?
- If Fedora Badges will stay relevant in Fedora, we have to be bold and be willing to experiment. We need to be able to have hard conversations about the sustainability of this project. The longer we wait, the worse the problem gets (as old, unmaintained code becomes even older). If this FAD does not happen, the larger sustainability questions around Fedora Badges are not addressed in detail. The real question is, what happens to Fedora Badges if these questions are not answered?
- Why so soon?
- The dates are soon. However, we chose them to maximize the convenience of DevConf the following weekend. It maximizes on existing travel plans and allows us to solicit feedback from other Fedora contributors / RH employees who may not easily attend. Even if costs are more expensive to book now, we believe this proposal helps us utilize our time and unique opportunity of being in Brno to benefit the success of the FAD.
|Origin location
|Day 1 (Jan. 21)
|Day 2 (Jan. 22)
|Day 3 (Jan. 23)
|Brian Exelbierd
|Brno, CZ
|Justin W. Flory
|Rochester, NY, USA
|Marie Nordin
|Rochester, NY, USA
|Masha Leonova ¹
|Brno, CZ
|Nick Bebout
|Evansville, IN, USA
|Sayan Chowdhury
|Bangalore, India
|Tanvi Shrivastava
|Bangalore, India
|Kyle Conway
|Des Moines, IA, USA
¹ — Participating for a few hours each day.
Planning pre-requisites
Publish wiki page proposal for feedback Finalize participant list Calculate final budget Create new logic model based off original planning notes
- Submit proposal to Fedora Council
- Complete supporting research leading up to FAD
Proposal: Pre-DevConf
We propose our FAD dates before DevConf in Brno, Czech Republic.
- Location: Red Hat Czech, Purkyňova 111, 621 00 Brno, Czech Republic
- Dates: Monday, January 21st – Wednesday, January 23rd, 2018
- Travel itinerary
- Participants travel/arrive on Jan. 20
- Participants leave on Jan. 23/24 or optionally choose to stay for DevConf at own expense and leave after (Jan. 28)
Backup proposal: March 2019
If the above proposal is untenable, the FAD could be pushed to March 2019. Specific dates and a budget can be provided on request.
|Travel plan
|Estimated travel cost
|Justin W. Flory
|ROC <=> JFK <=> DUB <=> VIE <=> Brno
|~$558 + ~$25 (bus/train) = $583.00
|Marie Nordin
|ROC <=> JFK <=> DUB <=> VIE <=> Brno
|~$558 + ~$25 (bus/train) = $583.00
|Nick Bebout
|EVV <=> ? <=> VIE/PRG <=> Brno (not sure yet)
|Sayan Chowdhury
|~$770 + ~$25 (bus/train) = $770.00
|Tanvi Gopal Shrivastava
|BLR <=> DEL <=> VIE <=> Brno
|~$795 + ~$25 (bus/train) = $770.00
|Kyle Conway
|DSM <=> ORD <=> MUC <=> VIE <=> Brno
|~$920 + ~$25 (bus/train) = $945.00
- Travel: ~$5,176.00 USD (anticipated)
- Accommodation:
- Option A: ~$400 USD for Airbnb rentals (one 4-guest, one 3-guest accommodation)
- Option B: $965.12 USD for A Sport Hotel (three double rooms, one single room)
- Location: $0
- Red Hat Office Brno
- Meals: ~$800 USD (food for 8 for 3.5 days at $25/day + ~$100 for one social dinner)
Total budget:
- Option A: ~$6351.00 USD
- Option B: ~$6916.12 USD
External links
- Fedora Badges FAD planning (shared notes document)
- First announcement of Badges FAD planning


text:
CHICAGO — Genetic medicine is the focus of two presentations at today's Scientific Program of the 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) — Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) Joint Meeting. The AAO-MEACO meeting is in session October 16 through 19 at McCormick Place, Chicago. It is the largest, most comprehensive ophthalmic education conference in the world.
Seeking Genetics-Specific Treatments for Age-Related Macular Degeneration
In the past decade ophthalmologists gained a powerful tool to control vision-damaging "wet" age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD): anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) medications. Anti-VEGF drugs halt or even reverse damage in many wet AMD patients, but some do not respond as well to treatment and so suffer severe vision loss. The new field of pharmacogenetics seeks to enable doctors to individualize treatment based on the patient's genetic profile for a disease. In a collaborative effort, the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine studied whether specific genetic AMD risk factors and/or smoking influenced patients' responses to anti-VEGF treatment.
The researchers reviewed medical records of 36 people with wet AMD who participated in the Unifying Genetic Epidemiology of Macular Degeneration Study. In terms of anti-VEGF treatment, there were 12 responders whose vision improved, 18 maintainers, and 6 poor responders whose vision declined. All patients had been treated with bevacizumab (Avastin) and/or ranibizumab (Lucentis) for at least one year. None of the patients had vision loss due to cataract, geographic atrophy (advanced "dry" AMD), laser scar or retinal pigment epithelial tear. DNA analysis was done for two AMD-genetic risk factors: complement factor H (CFH) and age-related maculopathy susceptibility-2 (ARMS2) genes. Twenty-four patients had been smokers and three were current smokers. The average age was 80 years.
"Neither high risk genetic factors nor smoking history was significantly associated with patients' response to anti-VEGF therapy in our study," said Jaclyn L Kovach, MD. "However, more responders than poor responders carried at least one risk allele for ARMS2, CFH, or for both genes. Repeating this study in a larger population could bring us closer to a gene-guided therapy for wet AMD."
AMD is categorized as either "dry" or "wet." In the advanced "wet" form, abnormal new blood vessels develop under the retina that bleed or leak fluid and form scars. Advanced AMD destroys the detailed, central vision we need to recognize faces, read, drive, and enjoy daily life.
Genetic Screening Could Improve Glaucoma Care
Symptoms of glaucoma, a disease that destroys the optic nerve, can be so subtle that people often don't know they have the condition. About 4.3 million Americans have glaucoma, and doctors estimate that about half of them are unaware of it. Costs associated with treating the most common type of glaucoma now exceed $3 billion. Genetic screening could help catch glaucoma early on, so patients could be tracked and treated in time to save their sight. Janey L Wiggs, MD, PhD, of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, said genetic testing is currently able to indicate the presence of or risk for several types of glaucoma. Heredity plays a significant role in the disease.
"Blood or cheek cell samples would be collected from patients and appropriate family members, and then selected genes would be sequenced," said Dr. Wiggs. "We can identify markers for congenital glaucoma, early onset (before age 35) primary open angle glaucoma, and normal tension glaucoma, as well as several other conditions that increase glaucoma risk," she added.
Many more genetic markers may soon be available for use in screening for open angle glaucoma and other disease variants. Dr. Wiggs said the challenge will be to identify combinations of genes and/or environmental factors that will produce the most sensitive, specific screening tests.
About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
AAO is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons — Eye M.D.s — with more than 29,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is provided by the three "O's" — opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it all: eye diseases and injuries, and perform eye surgery. To find an Eye M.D. in your area, visit the Academy's Web site at www.aao.org
Contact: October 15 through 19
Media Relations 510.725.5677
October 20 onward