text: Date: Mar 17 2000 (712 lines) Copyright 2000 by John S. James; permission granted for non-commercial use. AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #339, March 17, 2000 phone 800-TREAT-1-2, or 415-255-0588 CONTENTS: [items are separated by "*****" for this display] ** Treatment Models from India: Interview with Shashank Joshi, M. D. An HIV specialist in India describes an evolving standard of care, when only a few patients can afford the antiviral regimens common in richer countries. Dr. Joshi's approach include nutritional support for the immune system, intermittent HAART for some, herbal treatment, de-worming, and sometimes drugs to reduce intestinal inflammation and therefore possibly lower viral load. ** Testosterone Cream Available at CPS; Gel Approved by FDA A major HIV-specialist pharmacy is now carrying a compounded testosterone cream for topical application, avoiding the shots or patches otherwise used to deliver this drug. Meanwhile, the FDA has approved a testosterone gel -- but this gel will not be widely available for several months. ** Anabolics, Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements: New Book Available BUILD TO SURVIVE, by the editors of the newsletter MEDIBOLICS, discusses anabolic steroids, exercise, nutrition, and supplements for preventing or treating muscle wasting in AIDS. ** Vaccine News, March 2, 2000 Much is happening to accelerate development of vaccines, especially for AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Major initiatives were announced at a meeting of the President's Millennium Vaccine Initiative, March 2 at the White House. ** Fluconazole: Pfizer Asked to Lower Africa Price Pfizer, Inc. 's fluconazole costs almost 15 times as much in South Africa, where it is patent protected, than in Thailand where it is generic. The result is that many Africans die of cryptococcal meningitis and other fungal infections because they cannot obtain the patented drug at Pfizer's price. In South Africa, a coalition of major organizations has asked Pfizer to either reduce the price to the Thailand level, or voluntarily license the patent so that the treatment could be made available. ** Dietary Supplement Regulation: FDA Public Hearing April 4, Written Comments Due May 4 Problems in how the U.S. regulates "foods" vs. "drugs" could eventually block access to low-cost and natural treatments. ** FDA Drug-Approval Background: New Web Pages An FDA Web site explains the details of how drugs are regulated. ** African Americans and AIDS: Highlights of 2nd Annual Washington Conference Treatment and prevention experts look at how to respond to the epidemic among African Americans, who are much more likely than whites to have HIV and AIDS. ***** Treatment Models from India: Interview with Shashank Joshi, M. D. by John S. James Shashank R. Joshi, M. D., president of the HOPE Foundation in Mumbai, India, is an HIV specialist in a public hospital system with more than 36,000 patients with HIV; in addition, he follows over 500 HIV patients in his private practice, and more than 180 HIV-discordant couples. We asked Dr. Joshi to share information and experiences that might be useful to physicians or patients elsewhere. An Evolving Standard of Care in India AIDS TREATMENT NEWS: How to you approach HIV care in India, where few patients have access to triple-drug combination antiretroviral treatment? Dr. Joshi: We are developing low-cost treatment models in the Indian population, because of the high cost of antiretroviral drugs. A few of my private patients can afford some triple therapy with a protease inhibitor and two nucleoside analogs, but not continuously. So for some patients, we suggested triple therapy on alternate months, one month on a HAART combination and the next month without antiretrovirals. At the end of a year we have a small cohort of 26 patients who have done very well on this treatment; all of them have undetectable viral load -- below 20 copies on the Roche Ultrasensitive test -- and their average CD4 count has improved. It is important to note that all of these patients started this regimen with a CD4 count over 300. NIH is critically looking at this cohort. We are now trying to validate these results, and are working with other researchers, including in the U.S. We are looking at other low-cost models as well. We do not have ddI in India, so often I use d4T, 3TC, and hydroxyurea, in an antiretroviral-naive population. [Note: Hydroxyurea, an inexpensive drug usually used in cancer treatment, may improve the activity of certain antiretrovirals, especially ddI -- but can also increase the toxicity of the regimen.] This combination is working very well in a small but significant number of cases, reducing viral load and inducing CTL responses. Significantly, we have had no mitochondrial toxicity in these patients -- perhaps because we are giving them appropriate immunonutrition, including multivitamins, antioxidants, and certain other micronutrients. This nutritional therapy may be particularly important in the Indian population, because wasting is a major problem. [Note: Some researchers believe that mitochondrial toxicity -- a condition recognized elsewhere in medicine -- may caused by nucleoside analog drugs -- and may be responsible for much of their toxicity, as well as some but not all of the body-shape changes often attributed to protease inhibitors.] We are planning to study the product ImmunoCal, a nutritional supplement derived from whey protein, as a source of glutathione. It is believed that mitochondrial toxicity, which the nucleoside analog drugs and hydroxyurea may have, is mediated through the glutathione pathway. If you give patients a natural source of glutathione, maybe this problem can be prevented, and you may not see the liver toxicity, lactic acidosis, or other problems which might otherwise occur. We want to see if improved nutrition can improve the catabolic cachexia [wasting], and also we want to look for any antiretroviral effect. I understand that a small but significant number of patients have dropped their viral load by a log, after treatment with nutritional regimens designed to support the immune system. So an evolving standard of care in India is that we offer patients antiretroviral therapy with two nucleoside analogs and a protease inhibitor; if they cannot afford that, they can try structured treatment interruption, one month on and one month off of the triple therapy; if they cannot afford that, we look into an option like d4T and 3TC and hydroxyurea. In any case, treatment includes multivitamins and antioxidant supplements, psychological support, and meditation and yoga. Our protocol always includes vitamin E and vitamin C. We try to get the vitamin E from natural sources; we do not use the synthetic pills because they are derived from petrochemical intermediates, and some believe that these preparations might be pro-oxidant as well as antioxidant. So we use extracts from wheat germ, usually 200 IU to 400 IU. We also include B-complex vitamins, selenium, and other minerals. Herbal Treatments for Antiretroviral or IL-2 Effects Dr. Joshi: We are also using certain herbal medications -- some of which increase the body's natural production of IL-2. We presented a poster on this approach in 1998, at the 12th World AIDS Conference in Geneva ["Effect of unique herbal formulation in Indian HIV patients: A pilot study," 12th World AIDS Conference, Geneva, June 28 - July 3, 1998, abstract #42385]. We have compiled an herbal booklet, listing each ingredient, with references to studies showing antiviral activity, or increases in the natural production of IL-2. De-Worming, and Other Treatment for Intestinal Inflammation Dr. Joshi: We are also giving a weekly dose of albendazole to patients who have intestinal parasites. We have seen that if we de-worm patients routinely, after six months to a year there is a reduction of viral load. Indian patients traditionally have higher viral set points than European patients; this might be related to the parasites. Deworming might assist mucosal immunity in the gut, and improve the CTL response against HIV. Also, in a couple of patients, I am trying mesalamine, a drug used to reduce intestinal inflammation. Side Effects of Antiretroviral Regimens Dr. Joshi: We have not had problems with mitochondrial toxicity -- perhaps because of our nutritional therapy, or perhaps because we do not have ddI in India. I also believe that immunonutrition helps to some extent with lipodystrophy. But we are seeing lipodystrophy. And we are also seeing other side effects which have been reported elsewhere, including osteoporosis, and aseptic necrosis of the femur, in people on protease-inhibitor regimens in India. So there is considerable concern about these drugs, and we are looking at PI-sparing regimens. Nevirapine is now available in India, and we will be using it for this purpose. ***** Testosterone Cream Available at CPS; Gel Approved by FDA by John S. James On March 2 the Community Prescription Service, a mail- order pharmacy associated with POZ magazine and specializing in HIV, announced that it is selling a compounded testosterone cream. This product is not generally available in pharmacies. ("Compounded" means that it is specially prepared by a pharmacist at the direction of a physician, not a packaged pharmaceutical product; compounded products do not have to pass most of the FDA requirements for approval of pharmaceuticals.) Topical testosterone has long been available (see Testosterone Cream and Gel Available; Prices Vary Greatly," AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #307, November 20, 1998), but usually only through certain pharmacies which specialize in compounding. With the CPS product, the physician specifies the starting dose per application, and the cream is made up accordingly. According to CPS, for most people, an appropriate starting dose is 12.5 mg of testosterone per application. The same controlled-substance regulations apply to topical testosterone as to the injected or patch forms of the drug. For more information about this testosterone cream, call CPS at 800-842-0502. Note: On February 29 Unimed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the FDA had approved its AndroGel(TM) 1% testosterone gel "for replacement therapy in males for conditions associated with a deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone" -- the first time the FDA has approved such a product. However, AndroGel is not expected to be widely available in pharmacies until mid summer. Apparently AndroGel will deliver a somewhat higher dose of testosterone than the CPS cream. Comment: We expect that the main practical difference between the products is that the AndroGel will be much more expensive. ***** Anabolics, Exercise, Nutrition, Supplements: New Book Available by John S. James BUILD TO SURVIVE, by AIDS treatment advocates Michael Mooney and Nelson Vergel, covering anabolic steroids, exercise, nutrition, and popular supplements (especially for preventing or treating HIV-related wasting), was published February 2000. Mooney and Vergel are also editors of the MEDIBOLICS newsletter, http://www.medibolics.com The book includes sections on AIDS wasting, BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis), testosterone replacement therapy, different kinds of anabolic steroids, legality of anabolic steroids in medicine, lipodystrophy and potential approaches for management, side effects and guidelines for anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, orthomolecular nutrition, popular food supplements, various diet plans, food safety, diarrhea, blood tests to use before starting a nutritional program, exercise programs, recommended reading, references, and testimonials. BUILT TO SURVIVE is published by PoWeR (Program for Wellness Restoration), a nonprofit organization founded by Nelson Vergel. The cover price is $24.95, but copies can be ordered from the Houston Buyers' Club, 1-800-350-2392, for $18.95 +3.95 shipping; the book is also available through http://www.amazon.com , which can ship internationally. Comment BUILT TO SURVIVE provides an accessible overview of certain important therapies, by advocates who have made themselves experts in this area. Some of the recommendations may be controversial, and we are not qualified to judge their medical appropriateness. We suggest this book as a source of ideas that you may later want to discuss with your physician -- a discussion which the authors repeatedly urge their readers to have. ***** Vaccine News, March 2, 2000 Several major vaccine announcements were made on March 2, at a conference on the President's Millennium Vaccine Initiative in the White House: * The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) will invest $10 million this year to help fund the development of six HIV vaccine candidates for developing countries. IAVI, funded by foundations and governments, establishes partnerships with industry using a "social venture capital" approach: in return for investment, IAVI secures rights to ensure that a successful vaccine will be available to developing countries at a reasonable price. * Pharmaceutical corporations announced donations of millions of doses of existing vaccines to developing countries; four major companies promised to speed research and development of vaccines for AIDS and malaria, which currently have no vaccines. Also, Clinton has proposed a billion-dollar tax credit over ten years to speed development of vaccines for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and a $50 million contribution for a global vaccine bank. * The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases released THE JORDAN REPORT 2000, on the state of development of vaccines for many diseases; 8 pages of the 173-page report summarize the current status of several current approaches to an AIDS vaccine, but other sections are also relevant. THE JORDAN REPORT 2000 is available at www.niaid.nih.gov; more information on NIAID's role in AIDS vaccines is at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/aidsvaccine * The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) is a major government/industry/foundation alliance to get existing and new vaccines to poor countries. According to GAVI, vaccines save about three million children's' lives every year -- but almost three million other children die each year because they were not vaccinated. For more information, see http://www.vaccinealliance.org * New vaccine bills introduced in Congress: On March 1 Senator John Kerry (D., Massachusetts) and two others introduced the Vaccines for the New Millennium Act of 2000 in the Senate, and Representative Nancy Pelosi (D., San Francisco) and nine others introduced it in the House. [Rep. Pelosi had previously introduced the Lifesaving Vaccine Technology Act of 1999 to provide a tax credit for research and development of vaccines for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria; President Clinton had instead proposed a fund to purchase these vaccines after they were developed, which incidentally would not cost the government money now. The new Kerry/Pelosi bill combines several ideas and includes both approaches.] ***** Fluconazole: Pfizer Asked to Lower Africa Price by John S. James On March 13 the Nobel prize winning medical organization Doctors Without Borders/Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) demanded that Pfizer, Inc. greatly reduce the price of fluconazole in poor countries, in a communication delivered to the company in 18 countries (Pfizer is headquartered in New York). Doctors Without Borders supported South Africa's AIDS-activist Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which on the same day organized a delegation of union leaders, church leaders, and others representing millions of South Africans asking that Pfizer either lower the price, or grant a voluntary license allowing TAC to import the drug or manufacture it locally, with a 5% royalty to Pfizer. According to MSF, fluconazole costs almost 15 times as much in South Africa, where it is patent protected, than in Thailand, where it is not (in U.S. currency, $17.84 in Africa for an adult's daily maintenance dose, which must be taken indefinitely, vs. only $1.20 at the generic price in Thailand). The African price is more than twice the average daily wage of employed South Africans. The consequence is that few Africans are treated for cryptococcal meningitis, and as a result their life expectancy is less than one month. Patients who are treated can live for years with a greatly improved quality of life. Many Africans could be treated if they could obtain the drug at the generic price. According to TAC, Pfizer in South Africa agreed to respond within one week as to how TAC's letter was being handled -- although it could not act on the issue itself within a week, as the decision would have to be made in the United States. Letter from Archbishop The Most Reverend Njongonkulu Winston Hugh Ndungane, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, wrote the following to the chairman and CEO of Pfizer, Inc.: "Dear Mr. Steere, "In the face of evidence to the effect that it is possible to manufacture and sell Fluconazole at a price affordable to a significant number of South Africans, we urge you, in the interest of justice, to make this a reality. "We do understand that Pfizer is neither a charitable nor a humanitarian organization and that you have a responsibility to your shareholders. We assume, however, that Pfizer's market share in our country warrants an interest in our economic and social stability -- both of which are acutely threatened by our AIDS pandemic. "Many so called "First World" institutions and corporations are busy taking out patents on every new intellectual idea and discovery in every field. The poor are continually being excluded from benefits of these discoveries and will continue to be so until some sense of global responsibility is introduced. Creativity is needed to bridge the huge gap between human need, scientific effort and market returns. "Both rich and poor need to direct their attention towards a common plan of action regarding mobilization of science and technology for poor country problems. One recent suggestion is the creation of a vaccine fund which would guarantee future markets for epidemic vaccines. "Besides the bottom line issues, we strongly urge you to consider these humanitarian and moral aspects. "Grace and Peace," ***** Dietary Supplement Regulation: FDA Public Hearing April 4, Written Comments Due May 4 by John S. James On April 4 the FDA will hold a public hearing on regulation of claims for dietary supplements. While the technical issues involved do not directly affect AIDS treatment access, they are part of a larger issue which does. Anyone wishing to speak at this hearing must register in writing by March 28. But written comments can be submitted until May 4. The hearing is to get public input on how the FDA should change its regulations in response to a court case which it lost. An appeals court held that "the First Amendment [of the U.S. Constitution] does not permit FDA to reject health claims that we [FDA] determine to be potentially misleading unless we also reasonably determine that no disclaimer would eliminate the potential deception" [FDA's summary in the FEDERAL REGISTER, March 16]. For background and more information, see "Food Labeling; Dietary Supplement Health Claims; Public Meeting Concerning Implementation of Pearson Court Decision and Whether Claims of Effects on Existing Diseases May Be Made as Health Claims," FEDERAL REGISTER, March 16, 2000 [page numbers not available as this article goes to press]. Comment The larger issue is the regulation of "dietary supplements," such as the herbal products which are widely sold in the U.S. in health-food stores, and now in mainstream drugstores as well. There is widespread agreement that more regulation is needed than exists today. The appropriate kind of regulation is unclear. The danger is that we will get the wrong kinds of regulation, just because the models are most readily available. If natural products become regulated like pharmaceutical drugs, most will be effectively banned since no company will pay for the large clinical trials which would be necessary for approval. Even worse is the war-on-drugs model, which for decades has had a major impact on medicine in denying appropriate pain relief, because doctors reasonably fear trouble even when their prescribing is entirely legitimate and legal. The drug war has also greatly hindered the appropriate use of anabolic steroids in treating wasting, which causes many AIDS deaths -- and greatly impeded the use of needle exchange, although it has been clearly shown to prevent HIV infection without increasing drug use. Fortunately there are more positive regulatory models from some European countries -- which have long allowed the sale of a large variety of natural products at reasonable prices, under effective but not prohibitive controls. The U.S. is prone to destructive "moral" crusades -- which is why we have both the drug war, and the new mass imprisonment of the last 20 years. Because of the difficulty of making anything happen, this destructive spirit may be used as an ally by persons and institutions seeking legitimate safety measures for natural health products. Anyone interested in access to inexpensive or natural treatments should be paying attention at this time. ***** FDA Drug-Approval Background: New Web Pages by John S. James The FDA recently launched an excellent Web site with detailed release: The information includes: -Drug Approval Application Process. An overview from test tube to marketing -Investigational New Drugs. Includes emergency INDs, FAQs, etc. -New Drug Applications -Generic Drug Applications -Electronic Submissions -Small Business Assistance Program. Includes funding sources and orphan drugs. -Post Drug Approval Activities. Includes advertising, medication errors, drug shortages and surveillance activities. Treatment activist Brenda Lein of Project Inform said, "The information is absolutely wonderful and I'd encourage any treatment activist who isn't clear about the FDA and their process to read through the materials and become familiar with the drug discovery and development process... [including] why companies conduct certain tests based on what the FDA requires of them, and why other tests may not be conducted." The FDA site is at http://www.fda.gov/cder/regulatory/applications/default.htm ***** African Americans and AIDS: Highlights of 2nd Annual Washington Conference by Al Cunningham African Americans have access to modern HIV treatment, but far too many have not been tested and are not receiving medical care, according to speakers at the 2000 National Conference on African-Americans and AIDS, February 24 and 25 in Washington, D. C.; racism, sexism, homophobia, stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, lack of trust in the healthcare system, and lack of access to healthcare, remain major barriers. The two-day conference, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bristol-Myers Squibb, was the second annual meeting on African Americans and AIDS, with talks by leading researchers, public health officials, and non-government activists. Some highlights: * Long-term survivor Phill Wilson, who opened the meeting, later noted that 50% of the new AIDS cases among men who have sex with men are now men of color. "The tragedy is that this did not have to happen. Men of color were disproportionately impacted in 1989 when they were 30% of AIDS cases among men who have sex with men. The question now is what are we going to do at this time?" Wilson is a gay African American activist and founder of the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute, http://www.AAAinstitute.org * U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala described the Clinton Administration strategy as 3-fold: to put needed money into communities; to prevent the spread of HIV, and to eliminate barriers to care. "Too few African Americans are getting tested or getting access to care. The cost of treatment is high. The regimen of pills is difficult to follow. And prevention messages have not been targeted enough -- or become accepted enough -- in the African American community." * Human-rights leader Jesse L. Jackson Sr. called for visible African Americans to model the importance of testing -- followed by his own public test at a local HIV clinic for African Americans. * John G. Bartlett, M. D., from Johns Hopkins, discussed the government guidelines for HIV treatment, most recently updated January 29 (see "New Guidelines for HIV Treatment; Resistance Testing Now Recommended," AIDS TREATMENT NEWS #337, February 18, 2000). Dr. Bartlett also cited some of the long-term consequences of the HAART combinations, including elevated triglycerides and cholesterol levels, fat accumulation and fat wasting (lipodystrophy), insulin resistance or diabetes, and other disorders. He suggested that it is too soon to generalize about the benefits and risks of early HAART therapy. * Anthony S. Fauci, M. D., Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health, emphasized that while the guidelines are important, they do not mean that everyone must be treated -- and patients' rights to choose not to be treated should be respected. Dr. Fauci also noted that globally, 90% to 95% of people who need antiretroviral treatment will never get it. He referred the audience to http://www.hivatis.org for the latest updated version of the treatment guidelines. * Robert C. Gallo, M. D., discussed the search for biological treatments for HIV infection, which could be nontoxic and inexpensive. His talk included beta chemokines, and also the role of tat in HIV infection and immune suppression. His group is developing a tat toxoid which might be useful in both treatment and/or vaccination against HIV. Full audio and slide presentations should be available by April at the Johns Hopkins Web site, http://www.hopkins- aids.edu ***** AIDS TREATMENT NEWS Published twice monthly Subscription and Editorial Office: P. O. Box 411256 San Francisco, CA 94141 800/TREAT-1-2 toll-free U.S. and Canada 415/255-0588 regular office number fax: 415/255-4659 email: firstname.lastname@example.com useful links: http://www.aidsnews.org Editor and Publisher: John S. James Associate Editor: Tadd T. Tobias Reader Services: Tom Fontaine Operations Manager: Phillip T. Alden Statement of Purpose: AIDS TREATMENT NEWS reports on experimental and standard treatments, especially those available now. We interview physicians, scientists, other health professionals, and persons with AIDS or HIV; we also collect information from meetings and conferences, medical journals, and computer databases. Long-term survivors have usually tried many different treatments, and found combinations which work for them. AIDS Treatment News does not recommend particular therapies, but seeks to increase the options available. Subscription Information: Call 800/TREAT-1-2 Businesses, Institutions, Professionals: $270/year. Includes early delivery of an extra copy by email. Nonprofit organizations: $135/year. Includes early delivery of an extra copy by email. Individuals: $120/year, or $70 for six months. Special discount for persons with financial difficulties: $54/year, or $30 for six months. If you cannot afford a subscription, please write or call. Outside North, Central, or South America, add air mail postage: $20/year, $10 for six months. Back issues available. Fax subscriptions, bulk rates, and multiple subscriptions are available; contact our office for details. Please send U.S. funds: personal check or bank draft, international postal money order, or travelers checks. VISA, Mastercard, and purchase orders also accepted. ISSN # 1052-4207 ***** How to Subscribe Call 800-TREAT-1-2 (800-873-2812), or 415-255-0588. AIDS TREATMENT NEWS is published 24 times per year, on the first and third Friday of every month, and print copies are sent by first class mail. Email is available (see below). Annual Rates: business/professional $270; nonprofit community organization $135; individual $120 ($70 for 6 months). Email: Priority Email Delivery. Business, nonprofit and full- rate individual subscribers can receive a copy by email, in addition to their regular print copy, at no extra charge. These email copies are sent before the printed copies are mailed. Email: Free Delivery for Individuals (delayed one week). To subscribe, send email to email@example.com with "subscribe" in the title or first line. Back issues are available at http://www.aids.org/atn Copyright 2000 by John S. James. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used. -- John S. James, AIDS Treatment News firstname.lastname@example.com http://www.aidsnews.org


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Not Sold In Stores!
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The bottle eliminates the risk of harmful bacteria from public fountains, lakes or streams. It combines a durable custom water bottle and foldable water bowl in one compact convenient unit.
For using fill the cap with water. If your dog finished drinking, you can tilt the left water back in the bottle. When the bottle is empty you can fold it very small and put into your bag.
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subset: commoncrawl


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A while back, I interviewed Arnon Rotem-Gal-Oz, author of "SOA Patterns" and the Architecture & Design blogger at Dr. Dobb's Journal, about SOA patterns.
He compared SOA patterns to design patterns in software development, adding they're "repeating solutions to common architectural challenges in distributed systems in general and SOAs in particular."
In other words, it's a way architects noticed you could reliably and repeatedly use to fix certain problems in a service-oriented architecture.
Just as there are design patterns, there are design anti-patterns. And, as a spoiler, let me tell you business readers right now it sounds way more complicated than it is. According to Wikipedia, the term "anti-patterns" was coined in 1995 by Andrew Koenig. Officially, an anti-pattern is a repeated pattern that appears to be beneficial, but actually produces more bad than good. It's supposed to have a documented solution, as well.
But in the popular IT lexicon, anti-pattern has become a bit of slang for common mistakes and bad practices.
By now, some of you may have guessed where I'm going with this. That's right: Today's topic is SOA anti-patterns. Steve Jones of CapGemini documented a slew of SOA anti-patterns for InfoQ in 2006, and Friday, he revisited those anti-patterns on his blog. He continued the series yesterday with a set of posts on new SOA anti-patterns.
It's light reading and some of the titles are pretty humorous, but it manages to tickle that sensitive underbelly of truth. For example, he discusses the ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) SOA Anti-pattern, which is when architects (or managers or developers or bloggers or pick-your-IT title) continually change what "good" looks like from an SOA perspective.
But he isn't just spouting off a top 10 list of silly names for SOA bad practices. He also offers his analysis about the cause of the problem and advice for beating it. Here's a list of the anti-patterns he's published so far:
- Update of the original, 2006 anti-pattern list
- ADHD SOA Anti-pattern
- The My Way or The Highway Anti-pattern
- Yes Sir, No Sir, Three Service Views Full, Sir! Anti-pattern
- DOA (data-oriented architecture) Anti-pattern
While you're on his blog, you should also check out this post about selling SOA to the business. It also posted Monday and is possibly the briefest business case for SOA I've ever seen.


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Sunday, December 14, 2014
John Howe Exhibit
Yesterday, an exhibition of John Howe's artwork opened at the Maison d' Ailleurs museum in Yverdon, Switzerland. John Howe is a Canadian artist living in Neuchâtel who has worked alongside Alan Lee as the main concept artist on Peter Jackson's films The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
For more information, visit Maison d' Ailleurs.
Posted by James Gurney at Sunday, December 14, 2014
1 comment:
- dragonladych said...
Well worth a visit, I've been twice already. The whole exhibition is articulated around Lovecraft and Tolkien and sci-fi vs fantasy in general. Plus it's got a ton of cool Lego models, people of all ages are enjoying it!
- December 19, 2014 at 11:01 AM
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China is asserting itself in The South China Sea, resulting in disputes over maritime boundaries that effect things like fishing rights, access to natural gas reserves, and strategic control of important shipping lanes. Many nations are involved, including the Unites States, which has enjoyed virtually unchallenged naval supremacy since the World War II era. But a rising China is investing in modernizing its fleet and flexing its maritime muscle.
Kissinger Institute Director, Robert Daly provides insight into the current situation in the South China Sea while also looking ahead to what might be next and its implications for U.S.-China relations.


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Directed by: Leopoldo Savona
Stars: Richard Harrison, Nieves Navarro, Piero Lulli
Language: English
Country: Italy | Imdb Info | Ar: 1.85:1 | Dvdrip
Description: The Sorenson family is massacred, apparently by Indians. On the site of the killing, a town, Gold Hill grows up, run by a group of businessmen. Years later, El Rojo, alias the last surviving Sorenson arrives, bringing the truth about the massacre, and revenge.
1.05GB | 81:19mins | 848×466 | mkv


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When warm weather starts my tea drinking really starts to drop. It isn't even summer yet but yesterday it reached 36ºC. Needless to say, I haven't been too keen on hot beverages but have been a bit too lazy to make up jugs of iced tea.
This morning is a bit cooler so I sifted through Sil's samples and grabbed this one. About the time I started drinking it my hayfever set in so I haven't been able to enjoy it as much as I'd like. The first steep, which I'm on now, has a lovely fresh cucumber note but with that unmistakeable sensation of hot liquid on tastebuds that are switching off. Hopefully by the later steeps my antihistamine will have kicked in.
Thanks Sil :)


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|Charles Philip
These beauties from Shopbop will soon become the latest addition to my always growing shoe closet. Comfortable and chic. The perfect smoking slipper.
|Charles Philip
How adorable...lucky girl! Can't wait to see how you style them :)
those shoes are really lovely :9 and also your blog :D ps: if do you like my blog also we could follow each other :DReplyDelete
Love your blog! I'm your new follower, check out mine. :)ReplyDelete
I have to say, that I have a few pairs of charles phillip flats/smoking slippers and they're AWESOME! So comfortable and the come in the cutest box with a dustbag (which totally wins me over!)ReplyDelete


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We in the Northeast finally got clobbered with the massive heat wave belching up from the west, the one that all you guys were moaning about earlier this week.
Um, yeah. It's a doozy.
Needless to say, I shut off all the computers yesterday, draped heavy fabric over the windows, turned on the air conditioner, and broke the bank ordering pizza for dinner. We clustered together in the living room, the only cool room in the house. Wowsa.
I upgraded my phone this week, got an iPhone 4s. I was attracted to the very nice camera, and it IS nice. As a travel blogger and reviewer, I am tired of lugging around the huge DSLR camera, the camcorder, the small low-light-capable point-and-shoot, and all the batteries, SD cards, cases and covers. Especially when traveling to New York City, it's a real pain. This new camera has 8 mega-pixels and 1080 high-def video. So it's essentially a point-and-shoot camera and camcorder rolled into one! No more carrying around 3 to 4 cameras with all their accessories.
The phone also comes with "Siri," a voice-activated iPhone robot. I wasn't too sure about Siri until I started playing around with it last night. Now I like it. I can speak texts to the family (a BIG PLUS when I am driving) and answer business emails without getting carpal tunnel from the tiny keyboard.
Last night during our heat wave we played with Siri's mind, haha. We asked her questions like "What is your favorite color?" Siri answered, "My favorite color is… Well, I don't know how to say it in your language. It's sort of greenish, but with more dimensions."
:meh: LOL
When I asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Siri answered, "I have very few wants, Rebecca." :beanie:
Livvy Cat is melting.
She's too pooped and too hot to meow. When my daughter walked up to her to ask Livvy if she was hot, the cat just made a little whine. LOL. My daughter asked her if she wanted cool water. Whine again. LOL! The conversation went on for a good 30 seconds, with Livvy giving out squeaky little whines to my daughter's questions. This cat is just too funny.
One of my pals shared this on Facebook. Very cute. Apparently, Robert Louis Stevenson found out that his local politician's young daughter was unhappy that her birthday fell on Christmas Day. So Stevenson decided to legally give her his birthday (November 13th), since he had "no need of a birthday." He wrote a letter to the girl's father explaining the exchange, and included a legal document, penned by himself. I got a kick out of the letter to the father explaining the "legal" document:
Dear Mr Ide,
Herewith please find the DOCUMENT which I trust will prove sufficient in law. It seems to me very attractive in its eclecticism; Scots, English and Roman law phrases are all indifferently introduced and a quotation from the works of Haynes Bayly can hardly fail to attract the indulgence of the Bench.
Yours very truly,
Robert Louis Stevenson
Is it just me who thinks that a man with a mustache looks a little sloppy, but a man with a beard looks quite dapper?


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6 Ways to Revamp Your Social Media Strategy
With more and more of our personal and global ties fitting in our pockets, social media has become a powerful marketing tool. Today, Facebook and Twitter do more than simply connect you to that old friend from high school or that aunt you never see. Social media is a powerhouse for maintaining a network to all the information you could ever want such as recipe videos, job openings, headlines, company culture, educational material, weird celebrity gossip, and beyond.
But social media is good for more than just news. Businesses all over the world are realizing that their target audiences are spending five years of their lives on social media, which is more than the total time you're likely to spend eating and drinking. During that time, you could fly to the moon and back 32 times or follow your favorite brands on social media like 86% of users do. In light of this, it's time to increase your company's exposure, by taking the social media bull by the horns. Here are six ways to present a focused social media strategy.
Adopt a Unique Voice
Know Your Audience
So let's talk about content. Your social media campaign begins and ends with your audience, but before you even write a word, you should have a clear mental picture of who you're talking to. Your target audience will tune into your message more if you speak their language. The style, voice, and tone you adopt should reflect that target group. Don't be afraid to write content with a conversational tone for some occasions or a more formal one for others. Now picture your target audience again. What are they interested in? For example, 67% of Facebook users are 18-29 year-old women and nearly 18% of LinkedIn's over 450 million users are from Europe. Are you trying to reach both groups? Would you address them both in the same way? Determining your social media target audience allows you to appropriately tailor your content in an engaging way and optimize your use of those platforms.
Image Source: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/#linkedin
Choose Your Outlet
Secondly, which social media outlets do you want to use? Each one is a little different. For example, Facebook and Twitter are more relaxed than LinkedIn. Twitter users expect brief, clever statements that catch their attention, while LinkedIn users expect clear, concise descriptions. The voice of your audience is as important as the voice of the social media platform.
No smoke and mirrors here, just great Coke taste with zero sugar. #CokeZeroSugar #Halloween pic.twitter.com/XYmafgBsCy
— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) October 31, 2017
Stick to Your Brand
Lastly, keep in mind your voice and the voice of your company. Your business model is unique to you, so the way you present yourself on social media should not only reflect the audience's interests but yours as well. Your audience can tell when you aren't being candid. The danger is that 41% of users unfollow brands that post irrelevant or boring information and 34.7% dislike companies without a strong or charismatic identity. Be original and transparent when addressing your audience, so that they can become familiar and comfortable with you, but most importantly write content that is meaningful to you and the service your company offers.
Post Often…But Not Too Often
Once you've decided which voice is most appropriate for the demographic and social media tool you're going to use, you're almost ready to go. Remember that the goal of using social media is to increase your company's exposure. To do this, post to social media outlets often, but not too often. Excessive brand promotions irritate 57% of social media users, so how often is a choice you'll have to tweak over time until you hit that sweet spot. If you're not sure where to start, post at least once a week. This will help keep your clients updated with weekly sales or other relevant information that you wish to share.
Posting content every week to each outlet you intend to use may present a challenge. There are marketing automation tools, however, that help ease the burden of personally posting each time. Buffer, for example, is an excellent, stress-free scheduling resource. Once you've written your content, Buffer allows you to schedule each post individually on its website and release it at the time you selected, so that you don't have to. That means you can write content months in advance without hassle or worry.
Keep It Interesting
Let's write! Once you've determined how often you would like to post to social media, you can finally begin writing the content itself. Especially if you are posting once a week or more, you should ensure that you are including a variety of information. Post new and interesting content each time, so as not to bore or annoy your customers. Because nearly 60% of social media users are drowning in brand promotions, embrace other areas of interest as well. The 80/20 rule, which recommends that 80% of content be educational and only 20% promotional, seems to be the most effective solution. No matter what you post, ensure that it will engage your customers and draw them in to take advantage of your services.
Use Images
This may seem like a minor point, but the benefit of visuals cannot be overemphasized: 65% of the population are considered visual learners. Images are your opportunity to spread your message in a language that everyone can understand. A Facebook user, who is mindlessly scrolling along, may pass over a simple block of text. However, a colorful and engaging image may be just the thing to catch her attention and earn you her business.
Image Source: https://www.canva.com/create-a-design
There are countless tools today that help you create and edit pictures. I personally recommend Canva. Canva is a free tool, although you can pay for certain templates and extras, that allows you to create eye-catching and skillful visuals for social media and more. It's easy and actually pretty fun to use, even for the least technologically savvy like myself. With its straightforward structure, Canva can help you integrate consistent color schemes, which will make your brand more appealing. However you choose to manage your images, be sure to incorporate them regularly.
Know When to Post
Although dedicated customers may follow your posts consistently, there's a whole world of potential customers out there, who have not had a chance to meet you. Traffic varies on social media platforms throughout the day and even across a week. However, there are times of day when more people are plugged into social media platforms. Each outlet is a little different, but people are constantly checking their phones when they have free time: usually during lunch and in the evening. Below are the times when various social media platforms receive the most traffic:
- Facebook: Thursdays and Fridays between 1-3pm
- Twitter: Thursdays at 12pm
- LinkedIn: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 12pm and 5pm
- Instagram: Mondays through Fridays at 2am and 5pm
Image Source: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/
If you are interested in casting the widest net, watch closely to the times you are posting. Buffer, as mentioned before, not only schedules your social media content for you, but also collects general pieces of data like how many clicks or likes on Facebook you had for a particular post. Use this information to fine tune the days and times you post content.
Review Your Analytics
To properly use social media, your target audience isn't the only aspect of your campaign that you should analyze. In addition to the kinds of data that a third party like Buffer can provide, most social media platforms have built-in analytical tools. Facebook, for example, has free diagnostic features that are accessible and simple to use for pages.
Image Source: https://analytics.facebook.com/
Analytical information that these tools can provide track data points that you use to improve your content by determining when to post and what kind of post is the most successful. Perhaps your brand's customers prefer links to informative articles or photos and videos. Judge the success of a post based on your followers' interactions with it. For Facebook, I monitor likes, comments, clicks, and shares. If users respond to a post, either by leaving a comment or liking it, and share it with their friends and family, you know they're hooked. Although only mentioned briefly here, analytics is a vast and crucial topic for any social media strategy, and it is your beeline to ideal content, whichever tool you decide to use.
Social media strategy is not a one-size-fits-all for businesses. Discovering how best to communicate with your customers will require some adjustment over time. Nevertheless, social media is an opportunity to continue making an impression on new and current customers. To summarize, the secret to lucrative social media marketing is to be active, be clear, and be honest.
Discover more about our social media marketing strategy here.


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World's collide, and in all the best ways, with our Apex series. It's innovation meets unique design and creativity, all with performance sport features.


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At 12pm on December 9th 2017, Leaf and Groove flung its door open. We have had an amazing opening day, the reception and feedback from the community has been fantastic. Thank you so much to everyone who came to see us.
If you have books or vinyl to donate please pop by and drop it in.
Thanks again
Leaf and Groove


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Telephone Operator Duties
Telephones in a company would all be useless if there is no one to answer the call. This is the job for a telephone operator. He works on a sedentary mode most of the times, as he is expected to answer all call; direct all call to other departments and inform staff for some concerns in their work through the telephone. As an operator, he needs to have good communication skill and good public relations in order to promote the company through the telephone conversations he makes with clients and the general public.
Telephone Operator Job Duties
- Give assistance to the many callers.
- Show warmth and professionalism in answering the call.
- Give assistance and provide information that is needed by the callers.
- Give polite assistance that will direct callers to their right destination.
- Handle a call with all respect and professionalism even in any cases that needs patience.
- Follow the rules and regulations in answering calls.
- Aligned in all the activities that are happening in its company.
- Knowledgeable in its task for effective conversation.
- Always give 100% satisfaction by every caller.
- Keep their transaction recorded at all times.


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50 Cent Charged With Domestic Violence, Allegedly Kicked Baby's Mother
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has "allegedly" been accused of domestic violence and vandalism against his baby's mother according to TMZ.
According to officials, LAPD officers were called to the home of a woman who claims that 50 kicked her, which resulted in injury. It is also alleged that the rapper broke chandeliers, furniture, a TV, and a lamp. He also allegedly ransacked the bedroom closet.
If these charges are substantiated 50 could face up to 5 years in jail and 46K in fines. Story still developing.
Post your thoughts


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PENTAGON: Lockheed Martin scrambled today to explain the latest increases in the Joint Strike Fighter's costs, arguing that the three versions of the aircraft "will be comparable to or lower than that of the seven" older airplanes it will replace. Overall, the F-35 will cost an appreciably impressive $1.5 trillion over the 55 years it is expected to be flying, up from an estimated $1 trillion.
The latest numbers were released this afternoon as part of the Pentagon's authoritative Selected Acquisition Report. The overall value of the program comes from a Lockheed Martin statement.
For perspective on just how much money is involved, the latest Government Accountability Office's survey of major defense program says the estimated cost of the Pentagon's 96 major defense acquisition programs is $1.58 trillion. The "total acquisition cost" of these programs has grown by 5 percent to $74.4 billion. GAO says "about $31.1 billion can be attributed to factors such as inefficiencies in production, $29.6 billion to quantity changes, and $13.7 billion to research and development cost growth. As GAO puts it, these costs are "dominated by a small number of programs, with the Joint Strike Fighter accounting for the most cost growth in the last year, and the largest projected future funding needs."
The costs of the F-35 aircraft itself rose $10.7 billion; Pratt & Whitneys F135 engines that power the plane are treated separately and their costs rose $5.6 billion.
Lockheed issued a statement noting that the cost projections "are based on a number of variables that are subject to considerable fluctuation over the next 55 years, making the estimate inherently imprecise." Also, Lockheed notes the Pentagon has never before tried to project the costs of an aircraft over such a long stretch. And the Pentagon added "several new costs and program adjustments" that had not been part of earlier SARs.
"For example, the 2010 SAR estimate projected only operations and support costs, while the 2011 SAR projection adds the cost of acquisition and development. This results in the appearance of cost growth year over year," Lockheed argues. "The DOD's decision to shift the delivery of 179 aircraft beyond 2020 also added cost growth. This shift caused a $60 billion increase in operations and support costs due to inflation and the two-year program extension. The SAR estimate also added four squadrons, grew staffing requirements and increased scope. For example, the 2011 estimate added 2,650 personnel for maintenance and security for the U.S. Air Force at an additional cost of $24.3 billion. The government also included the cost of lifetime modernization to the aircraft to improve its capabilities – expenses that are not included in the cost projections for other aircraft."
Frank Kendall, the presumptive undersecretrary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday that he had come up with affordability targets to drive Lockheed Martin to save costs. We obtained a copy of the F-35 SAR talking points and they include those targets for both production and for sustainment. These numbers are for unit recurring flyaway cost. (This is the cost to buy a plane, not to operate it. It also usually doesn't include all development costs.)
We lay them out for each of the three models.
F-35A = $83.4 million
F-35B = $108.1 million
F-35C = $93.3 million
Cost Per Flying Hour
The F-35 was not alone in getting more expensive. The next generation aircraft carriers (CVN) increased 5.5 percent or $2.2 billion "due primarily to the application of revised escalation indices (+$951.0 million) and revised estimates for CVN-78 non-recurring engineering, Dual Band Radar, and construction performance variance (+$811.0 million). For the second carrier, CVN-79, "higher estimates for non-recurring engineering, basic construction and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), overhead and industrial base impacts, and inflation" pushed the costs up $1.2 billion.
The ignoble award of highest percentage increase for a program (one not changed much by quantity changes) goes to the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS). Program costs rose 13.1 percent to hit a nice and juicy $3 billion.


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My Name is Sarah
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Who Stops Grocery Clerk Abuse?
4 comments:
- Heather said...
Just posted this a bit ago myself Joyce.Mixed emotions.Tears flowed for the behavior that we know is out there but flowed as well knowing there are people,other than us,who will,stand up and be the voice.Powerful.
- May 20, 2010 at 10:02 PM
I think this is the wrong way to raise awarness about young adults with disablities. Even though the young man who has down syndrome was an actor and consented and understood what would be happening I think It would still hurt even if It was "Pretend" I have a Brother who has Down Syndrome and I would never let someone treat him in such a way. I give your son cudos for standing up for his big sister. (Next time just use words don't get your self in trouble for using phisical force.)
- May 21, 2010 at 12:22 AM
- Mama Mason-Mann said...
I found this hard to watch myself. Although I was encouraged by those that stood up for him, it was VERY hard to watch him being treated that way, even if it was only an actor. :(
- May 21, 2010 at 7:01 AM
- Karen said...
Things like that wrench my heart like nothing else. Is this what our children have to face in the world when we're not there to shield them from the public? God bless those few who stand up to the abuse.
- May 21, 2010 at 8:26 AM


text: Elizabeth J. Hall has taught and researched health topics for Wildwood Lifestyle Center and Hospital for over 25 years. She has authored an e-book, Keys to Optimal Health and Happiness. Currently, she is the course coordinator for the Online College of Health Evangelism and works as an investigative medical journalist for wildwoodhealth.org and is a frequent contributor to Wildwood's Journal of Health and Healing.


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London's Southbank Centre was treated to a giant Baobab tree this summer made entirely from recycled fabric! Design collective Pirate Technics designed the colorful oversized tree to grace the Thames Riverfront for the Festival of the World. Inhabitat was on hand to check out the gorgeous art projects that sprang up for the fest - read on for a firsthand look!
The bright and bold tree rises almost 46 feet high on Southbank's waterfront. Designed by the group of artists, engineers and designers in Pirate Technics, the tree was created to represent the nations of the world that took part in this summer's London Olympics. Rows and rows of remnant fabrics from different nations around the world made up the bark of the tree, totaling 80 different kinds in all.
The Baobab Tree was based on Africa's oldest living specimen, which has come to symbolize community and strength. By layering fabrics from each culture next to each other, Pirate Technics is drawing a specific corollary about the global village that the world has become, showing how the textures and patterns from each culture can work together seamlessly to create something beautiful.
The tree is seated on the low river front plaza, and peaks up over 20 feet above the elevated roadway above. Aside from symbolizing unity, the recycled fabric tree was meant to act as a meeting place for members of the London community, and to inspire conversation between strangers visiting Southbank.
Over one million visitors came to the Baobab Tree sculpture this summer, effectively reaching Pirate Technic's goal of bringing people together.
Images ©Lori Zimmer for Inhabitat


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Iowans love Casey's pizza — and for good reason
New York, Boston, San Francisco all have their own Little Italy to grab pizza, pasta and cannolis. Little by little, a local businessman has been trying to create that same culture in Atlanta.
Editor's note: This story was originally published in July 2015.
Ain't no pizza like a Casey's pizza. But really. Nevermind that it's from the gas station. It's thick, cheesy and straight-up delicious — and most Iowans would (and should) tell you that it's the best stuff around. Here's why.
1. The pie — obviously. For starters, the options are endless. Each station offers eight specialty pizzas, from taco and bbq beef to chicken bacon ranch, or you can build your own using up to 14 different toppings. Want to save on calories? Their vegetarian flatbread is calling your name.
2. Born in Iowa — like many of the greats are (ahem, Ashton Kutcher). Doesn't matter if you're an urban dweller or a rural resident, there's a Casey's General Store in every county in Iowa. They've got locations all over the Midwest — 14 states to be exact, including Indiana and Kentucky — but they're an Iowa-based company that we're darn proud to call ours.
3. Trendsetter — that's right. Convenience store food has been underrated until recently. Places like the QT Kitchen have become a thing and are now serving made-to-order items: toasted sandwiches, smoothies, kolaches, you name it. And while Casey's has added a few new goods to their menu in recent years, they've been serving that same great pizza for years. Scratch that — decades.
4. The breakfast pizza — need I say more? Creamy cheese sauce smeared on a thick, golden crust topped with fluffy eggs and crispy bacon or sausage. A generous layer of bubbled cheese tops it all off. Good morning, indeed.
Sure, Casey's still has those super cheesy commercials — you know, the one where the two friends are leaving home for college in a packed-up convertible and stop at Casey's for that golden pizza? But we don't blame them. After all, it's what they're famous for.


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Pop-up SF skate park preview of bigger project
Word spread quickly among San Francisco skateboarders Tuesday that city officials had unpacked a "skate park in a box" on the eastern end of Golden Gate Park, providing a preview of a long-envisioned plan to create a permanent spot for boarders to practice their grinds, kickturns, shoveits and ollies.
Riis Mendelsohn, 12, took a quick break from attempting some of those and other skateboarding maneuvers as he looked over the temporary ramps and ledges that the Recreation and Park Department set up on the closed-off one-block stretch of Waller Street, just west of Stanyan Street.
"It's beast," said Mendelsohn, who lives nearby in the Richmond District. For the uninitiated, "beast" is skater-talk for great.
The city already has three permanent skate parks - in Hunters Point, Crocker-Amazon and the outer Mission - but none near the city's western neighborhoods. The Board of Supervisors agreed in 2007 to place a skate park in Golden Gate Park. One location, near the horseshoe pits near Stanyan and Fulton streets, was rejected, and then attention turned to the Waller Street site.
The temporary setup on display Tuesday was taken down after one day. But next month, city officials plan to bring in pieces of granite and concrete barriers to create a skate park for a six-month trial. If that goes well, money would be sought to build a permanent one.
But some well-organized neighbors object, fearing the skate park will be a magnet for graffiti vandals and drug dealers, and draw a steady stream of skaters past their homes and businesses.
E-mail Rachel Gordon at email@example.com.


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Flapjack recipe definitely a keeper
Turns out, there are few foods with a history as diverse as the pancake.
American Indian tribes were enjoying a form of fried cakes long before English and other Western European settlers brought their affection for the pancake with them to the New World. The colonists took particular pleasure in pancakes on the day before the start of Lent, an exercise in clearing their pantries of eggs, butter, sugar and other luxuries, all in the name of Lenten sacrifice.
"Eating such a rich, buttered cake on this day was the last gasp of gourmandism before 40 days of self-denial," writes John Mariani in "The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink."
Flat, griddled cakes went by a flurry of names over the centuries: "No cake" was the early translation of nokchick, a native Narragansett word for a soft-battered cake. Other monikers included "batter cakes," "flannel cakes," "hoe cakes," "slapjacks," "Johnnycakes" and "flapjacks," and it wasn't until the 1840s that the word "pancake" became the generally accepted term.
Naturally, American entrepreneurship jumped on the pancake bandwagon. "Self-Rising Pancake Flour," the nation's first ready-mix pancake product, debuted in 1889 in Missouri. It was later renamed "Aunt Jemima," borrowing the title of a minstrel show song.
One of my happiest childhood memories is watching my father make pancakes. I'm fairly certain that Donny relied upon Bisquick or some other convenience mix (like most men of his generation, he wasn't much of a cook, outside of Saturday morning pancakes and steaks on the grill), and it was the only instance that I can recall seeing our heavy, rectangular cast-iron griddle — so big that it straddled two burners — being put to use.
With my siblings and I seated at the table — and Mom, too, taking a rare break from kitchen duty — we'd watch Dad at the stove, easing batter onto that hot, spattering cooktop, and deftly wielding a spatula as he stacked thin, golden pancakes on a platter. They would disappear as quickly as he could make them.
During the intervening decades, I found myself following Dad's pancake example (OK, minus the prepackaged mix), at least in the batter department, where the operative words were thin, semi-lumpy and pourable.
That is until two years ago, when I encountered "The New Comfort Food" (Chronicle Books, 2011) and a different kind of pancake recipe. Adapted from a classic New Hampshire diner, this time-tested formula has a crazy amount of leavening, which quickly turns the batter into a doughy, sticky, air bubble-filled mass. Pourable, it's not, but this batter yields a high-rising, incredibly tender pancake.
Handling this batter requires some finesse. Using a narrow, flat-blade spatula, I nudged the batter outward — from its highest point in the center to the pancake's outer edge — creating a larger, and slightly slimmer pancake.
More Information
Buttermilk Flapjacks
Makes about 8 pancakes.
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons fine sea salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, divided, plus more
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Maple syrup, for serving
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Melt 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter. In a medium bowl, whisk melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk buttermilk mixture into flour mixture, mixing as little as possible to make a thick (and lumpy) batter. Do not overmix; too much stirring will result in tough pancakes.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and heat until butter's foam subsides. Ladle in about ½ cup of batter and cook, turning once, until pancake is deep golden brown on both sides, about four to five minutes total. Repeat process with additional butter and remaining batter. Serve hot, topped with butter and maple syrup.
Note: "For the best results, you've got to take your time and cook the flapjacks one by one with plenty of butter in a hot skillet," writes James Oseland in "The New Comfort Food."
From "The New Comfort Food"
8 easy pancake tips:
Give it a rest. After mixing batter, loosely cover and let it sit on the counter for about five minutes before cooking.
Keep it hot. A well-made pancake requires a hot but not scorching pan. Here's a reliable test: Drop roughly 1 tablespoon batter into the pan. After a minute, if the cooked side is pale and beige, the pan isn't hot enough, and if it's golden brown, the temperature is correct. For electric griddle users, set the temperature in the 350- to 375-degree range.
Flipping out. It's time to turn pancakes when the face-up surface is a sea of small, un-popped bubbles.
Key ingredient. Buttermilk is the path to pancake enlightenment. It's not exactly a staple in most American refrigerators, so substitute by using this ratio: add 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice for every 2 cups milk.
Worth the fuss. For a truly tender pancake, separate eggs (adding yolks according to instructions), whip whites into stiff peaks and, using a rubber spatula, carefully fold whites into the batter just before cooking.
Fresh and frozen. Rather than folding blueberries into the batter, sprinkle them over pancakes as they begin to set on the griddle. Use fresh berries when they're in season, and frozen during the rest of the year. For frozen berries: Thaw, place in a mesh strainer, rinse under cool water until water runs clear, then transfer berries to a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Accentuate the berry's flavor by gently tossing ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest into each cup of blueberries.
Serve immediately. Pancakes are best enjoyed straight off the stove. If making a large batch, store in a 200-degree oven. For single layers, use a wire rack on top of a baking sheet, and for multiple layers, place between folds of a kitchen towel set on a baking sheet.
Finishing touch. Toppings, including butter and maple syrup, are best served at room temperature.


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Grand Prix
Gloria Victoria
Canada, 2013, 7'
Director: Theodore Ushev
Diploma "Special Mention" in the Best Short Film Category:
- Hippos, Poland, 2014, 12', Director: Piotr Dumala
- Brutus, Russia, 2014, 13', Director: Svetlana Filippova
- Fisherman daugther Boom-Boom, Russia, 2013, 8', Director: Ivan Maximov
- Man Meets Woman, Russia, 2014, 17', Director: Dmitry Geller
/The Grand Prix is awarded in the category for Short Films and it is considered the winner of the category/
Best Feature film
The Boy and the World
Drawing on paper, Watercolor, Cut-outs, 2D
Brazil, 2013, 80'
Director: Al? Abreu
Best Student's Film
International Father's Day
Latvia, 2012, 5'
Director: Edmunds Jansons
Diploma "Special Mention" in the Best Student's Film Category:
- Sock Skewer Street 8, Finland, 2013, 6', Director: Elli Vuorinen
- Dog, Germany, 2012, 2', Director: Simon Schnellmann
Best Children's Film
My Mum is an Airplane
Russia, 2013, 6'
Director: Yulia Aronova
Diploma "Special Mention" in the Best Children's Film Category:
- Zebra, Germany, 2013, 3', Director: Julia Ocker
Best TV Series
Plasticine alphabet
Russia, 2014, 2'
Director: Sergey Merinov
Diploma "Special Mention" in the Best TV Series Category:
- Piglet. Babysitter, Russia, 2014, 6', Director: Natalya Berezovaya
Award "Why Not?" - awarded by Milka
Kitchen Tales
Czech Republic, 2013, 7'
Director: Vojt?ch Doml?til
Award for best Bulgarian Student's Film - awarded by "Dice"
Bulgaria, 2014, 2'
Director: Dimitar Velev
Award of the Union of Bulgarian Film Makers
The Day of the Bleeding gums
Drawn on a smartphone
Bulgaria, 2014, 6'
Director: Dimitar Dimitrov
Award of the Film Critics
Gloria Victoria
Canada, 2013, 7'
Director: Theodore Ushev
Award "Bitter Cup" - awarded by the Journalistic Faculty of Sofia University to Mr. Otto Alder for his film:
The spirit of genius : Fedor Khitruk and his films
Germany, 59'


text: 65 Master Bedroom Decorating Ideas For Treat Yourself To Your Dream 63Creating There is A fantasy master suite simpler to reach than folks presume. The sum of cash designed for usage affects many styles, and layout elements might be included. But even Property Owners using little budgets may use the Following Suggestions to Make Their fantasy Learn bedroom Insert lively lighting fixtures: A bright light would


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Hotels in Manchester
125 Accommodations in Manchester
Hotel Travelodge Manchester AncoatsManchester 388 m from city centre 472 reviews
Close to the city centre, the Travelodge Manchester Ancoats Hotel is ideal for a city break or those attending an event at the various...
Hotel Holiday Inn Express Manchester Salford QuaysManchester 3.8 km from city centre 1008 reviews
This hotel is close to Manchester and is a nice retreat from the traffic and city hustle and bustle. Excellent value hotel for Manchester...
Hotel Holiday Inn Express Manchester City Centre ArenaManchester 528 m from city centre 1336 reviews
The hotel offers a reception desk open 24 hours and 24 modern rooms with free Wi-Fi. The hotel houses a contemporary bar offers various...
Macdonald Manchester Hotel & SpaManchester 816 m from city centre 5349 reviews
338 bedrooms All with air con, mini bar, 24 hour room service, tv, hair dryer,cable TV, trouser press, radio, direct dial, i Pod docking...
Hotel Holiday Inn Express City Centre - Oxford RoadManchester 912 m from city centre 1020 reviews
With a stay at Holiday Inn Express Manchester City Centre, you'll be centrally located in Manchester, steps from The Dancehouse Theatre...
Hotel Holiday Inn Express Manchester AirportManchester 13.7 km from city centre 0 reviews
With a stay at Holiday Inn Express Manchester Airport in Manchester, you'll be near the airport and close to Quarry Bank Mill and Styal...
Le Villé Hotel ManchesterManchester 483 m from city centre 0 reviews
Le Villé Hotel is in the heart of Manchester, walking distance from Imperial Chinese Archway and Manchester Palace Theatre. This hotel is...
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Manchester PiccadillyManchester 251 m from city centre 3847 reviews
This contemporary hotel with sister properties in London, Bristol, Birmingham and Glasgow opened for business with press reporting...
Hotel Hilton Manchester DeansgateManchester 1.2 km from city centre 4054 reviews
With a stay at Hilton Manchester Deansgate in Manchester (Manchester City Centre), you'll be minutes from Beetham Tower and Deansgate...
Hotel Premier Inn Manchester Trafford Centre WestManchester 8.3 km from city centre 1851 reviews
Our modern, newly built Hotel is situated opposite the renowned Trafford Shopping Centre and next to junction 10, off the M60, which...
Clayton Hotel, Manchester AirportManchester 13.1 km from city centre 5520 reviews
The hotel offers spacious and superbly appointed modern ensuite bedrooms. All bedrooms boast "dive into bed duvets" and hypo allergenic...
Hotel Travelodge Manchester SportcityManchester 3.2 km from city centre 207 reviews
Travelodge hotels are great places for the whole family with comfortable rooms and fantastic locations close to all major attractions up...
Hotel New UnionManchester 580 m from city centre 0 reviews
With a stay at New Union Hotel in Manchester (The Gay Village), you'll be minutes from Manchester Palace Theatre and Manchester Art...
Hotel Mercure Manchester PiccadillyManchester 250 m from city centre 3176 reviews
This 14-storey hotel comprises a total of 272 rooms of which 9 are suites and facilities include a...
The Edwardian Manchester, A Radisson Collection HotelManchester 907 m from city centre 5163 reviews
Radisson Blu Edwardian Manchester Hotel is located in Manchester, steps from Manchester Central and minutes from Manchester City Hall....
Britannia Sachas Hotel ManchesterManchester 270 m from city centre 2286 reviews
Spread over 6 floors, this hotel comprises 223 rooms, of which 161 are double rooms and 15 single rooms, as well as 47 suites. Facilities...
Accommodations in ManchesterEnjoy your stay in Manchester. Make your visit to Manchester an unforgettable experience by staying in the hotel you deserve. Still don´t know where to stay? At Destinia we offer you a wide variety of hotels in Manchester, United Kingdom, so you can choose the one that´s right for you, depending on your expectations and your budget. There are numerous hotels in Manchester that are ideal for a business trip, a family holiday, a weekend getaway or an outing with friends in Manchester. No matter the reason for your trip, at Destinia, you´ll find the greatest variety of hotels and hostels, always at the best prices, guaranteed. Are you looking for a deluxe hotel in Manchester city centre with a spa, Internet access or a pool? Perhaps a hotel that accepts pets or that has a child-care centre? We have that, too. Why not give our hotel finder a try? It´s quick, simple and the most effective way to find the best lodging in this part of United Kingdom. Whether you need a single-occupancy room, double-occupancy room or even a suite, with Destinia´s search engine, you´ll always find the best deals, so all you´ll have to worry about is packing your bags and enjoying your trip to Manchester.
Hotels near Manchester
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Hotels by theme
- Hotels with spa in Manchester
- Hotels with hot tubs in Manchester
- Hotels with pool in Manchester
- Luxury hotels in Manchester
- Hotels in the centre of Manchester
In Manchester we will have overcast clouds, it is advised to dress in layers due to the minimum temperatures.
- Tuesday
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Hotels by category
- 2 star hotels in Manchester
- 3 star hotels in Manchester
- 4 star hotels in Manchester
- 5 star hotels in Manchester
Points of Interest in Manchester
- Airport - Manchester
- Train station - Manchester-Airport
- Train station - Manchester-Piccadilly
- Train station - Manchester-Victoria