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Amy Tan
American novelist
Amy Ruth Tan (譚恩美 Tán Ēnměi) (born 19 February 1952) is a Chinese-American writer and member of the Rock Bottom Remainders, most famous for her novel The Joy Luck Club.
The Joy Luck Club (1989)Edit
- My father has asked me to be the fourth corner at the Joy Luck Club. I am to replace my mother, whose seat at the mah jong table has been empty since she died two months ago. My father thinks she was killed by her own thoughts.
- First lines
- Over the years, she told me the same story, except for the ending, which grew darker, casting long shadows into her life, and eventually into mine.
- Your father is not my first husband. You are not those babies.
- Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain.
- I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.
- After the gold was removed from my body I felt lighter, more free. They say this is what happens if you lack metal. You begin to think as an independent person.
- For woman is yin, the darkness within, where untempered passions lie. And man is yang, bright truth lighting our minds.
- I discovered that maybe it was fate all along, that faith was just an illusion that somehow you're in control.
- My mother had a look on her face that I'll never forget. It was one of complete despair and horror, for losing Bing, for being so foolish as to think she could use faith to change fate.
- I had new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won'ts. I won't let her change me, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not.
- Only two kind of daughters. Those who are obedient and those who follow their own mind! Only one kind of daughter can live in this house. Obedient daughter!
- When I want something to happen — or not happen — I begin to look at all events and all things as relevant, an opportunity to take or avoid.
I found the opportunity.
- I remember wondering why it was that eating something good could make me feel so terrible, while vomiting something terrible could make me feel so good.
- Now that I'm angry at Harold, it's hard to remember what was so remarkable about him.
- I saw what I had been fighting for: it was for me, a scared child...
- That was the night, in the kitchen, that I realized I was no better than who I was... And I no longer felt angry at Waverly. I felt tired and foolish, as if I had been running to escape someone chasing me, only to look behind and discover there was no one there.
- Then you must teach my daughter this same lesson. How to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever.
- On the third day after someone dies, the soul comes back to settle scores. In my mother's case, this would be the first day of the lunar new year. And because it is the new year, all debts must be paid, or disaster and misfortune will follow.
- I have always known a thing before it happens.
- It is because I had so much joy that I came to have so much hate.
- I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these things do not mix?
- Why are you attracted only to Chinese nonsense?
- Look at this face. Do you see my foolish hope?
The Kitchen God's Wife (1991)Edit
- Whenever I'm with my mother, I feel as though I have to spend the whole time avoiding land mines.
- p. 9
- You see what power is – holding someone else's fear in your hand and showing it to them.
- p. 387
The Hundred Secret Senses (1995)Edit
- My sister Kwan believes she has yin eyes. She sees those who have died and now dwell in the World of Yin, ghosts who leave the mists just to visit her kitchen on Balboa Street in San Francisco.
"Libby-ah," she'll say to me. "Guess who I see yesterday, you guess." And I don't have to guess that she's talking about someone dead.
- Everyone must dream. We dream to give ourselves hope. To stop dreaming — well, that's like saying you can never change your fate. Isn't that true?
SALON Interview (1995)Edit
- I don't feel the need to be a role model, it's just something that's been thrust upon me. Teachers and a lot of Asian-American organizations, for example, say to me, "We need you to come and speak to us because you're a role model." ... Placing on writers the responsibility to represent a culture is an onerous burden. Someone who writes fiction is not necessarily writing a depiction of any generalized group, they're writing a very specific story.
- Other Asian-American writers just shudder when they are compared to me; it really denigrates the uniqueness of their own work. I find it happening less here partly because people are more aware now of the flaws of political correctness — that literature has to do something to educate people. I don't see myself, for example, writing about cultural dichotomies, but about human connections. All of us go through angst and identity crises. And even when you write in a specific context, you still tap into that subtext of emotions that we all feel about love and hope, and mothers and obligations and responsibilities.
- One relative felt that the story of my grandmother should not have been revealed. My grandmother was the woman (in The Kitchen God's Wife) who had been raped, forced to be a concubine, and finally killed herself. My mother, though, got equally angry at the relative and said, "For so many years, I carried this shame on my back, and my mother suffered, because she couldn't say anything to anybody." And she said, "It's not too late; tell the world, tell the world what happened to her." And I take her mandate to be the one that is in my heart, the one that I should follow.
- I've long thought about how life is influenced by death, how it influences what you believe in and what you look for. Yes, I think I was pushed in a way to write this book by certain spirits — the yin people — in my life. They've always been there, I wouldn't say to help, but to kick me in the ass to write. ...Yin people is the term Kwan uses, because "ghosts" is politically incorrect. People have such terrible assumptions about ghosts — you know, phantoms that haunt you, that make you scared, that turn the house upside down. Yin people are not in our living presence but are around, and kind of guide you to insights. Like in Las Vegas when the bells go off, telling you you've hit the jackpot. Yin people ring the bells, saying, "Pay attention." And you say, "Oh, I see now." Yet I'm a fairly skeptical person. I'm educated, I'm reasonably sane, and I know that this subject is fodder for ridicule. ... To write the book, I had to put that aside. As with any book. I go through the anxiety, "What will people think of me for writing something like this?" But ultimately, I have to write what I have to write about, including the question of life continuing beyond our ordinary senses.
- People look at me as this very, I don't know, Confucius-like wise person — which I'm not. They don't see all the shit that I've been through.
American Acheivement interview (1996)Edit
- Reading for me was a refuge. I could escape from everything that was miserable in my life and I could be anyone I wanted to be in a story, through a character. It was almost sinful how much I liked it. That's how I felt about it. If my parents knew how much I loved it, I thought they would take it away from me. I think I was also blessed with a very wild imagination because I can remember, when I was at an age before I could read, that I could imagine things that weren't real and whatever my imagination saw is what I actually saw. Some people would say that was psychosis but I prefer to say it was the beginning of a writer's imagination. If I believed that insects had eyes and mouths and noses and could talk, that's what they did. If I thought I could see devils dancing out of the ground, that's what I saw. If I thought lightning had eyes and would follow me and strike me down, that's what would happen. And I think I needed an outlet for all that imagination, so I found it in books.
- External success has to do with people who may see me as a model, or an example, or a representative. As much as I may dislike or want to reject that responsibility, this is something that comes with public success. It's important to give others a sense of hope that it is possible and you can come from really different places in the world and find your own place in the world that's unique for yourself.
- I was writing for businesses. I think my mother was a little skeptical in the beginning, but fortunately, as a free-lance writer I was successful almost immediately. And so she was very proud, because she measured success in terms of money, which is what I started to do as well. My goal then, became to increase the amount of money that I made each month. Not simply each year, but each month — I mean, talk about pressure — to have more billable hours each month. So that by the end of my third year of being a free-lance writer, I was billing 90 hours a week. I had no time to sleep. I had no life. People said I was crazy, that I was a workaholic. And I couldn't understand how it was that I had these wonderful clients, and I was making all this money, and I wasn't happy and I didn't feel successful. That's when I started to write fiction.


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Recently, I blogged about a PayPal Subscriptions project I was working on. This was a website where people could subscribe via PayPal for weekly religious lessons under one of three user categories. The previous post looked at the differences between the Web Site and Web Application Project models and what this meant when attempting to implement user profiles in conjunction with the membership system. Since I had previously created a few basic E-Commerce websites with regular Buy-Now buttons, I thought this would be a breeze... wrong :-|
As part of the project requirements, there would be separate, weekly messages displayed to the subscribers. The first message of a yearly subscription that would be displayed, would be tied to the original subscription date. No matter what kind of subscription system or periodical you are publishing, at some stage you will need to offer the correct issue number to a given subscriber. Since everyone will be subscribing at different times, this means keeping count! I decided to keep a tab of the week numbers. Bear in mind, that week calculations are done differently in different cultures and there is not a bug if you see week number 53!
using System.Globalization; CultureInfo cultInfo = CultureInfo.CurrentCulture; int weekNumNow = cultInfo.Calendar.GetWeekOfYear(DateTime.Now, cultInfo.DateTimeFormat.CalendarWeekRule, cultInfo.DateTimeFormat.FirstDayOfWeek);
For the task in hand, I used ASP.NET 2.0 and C# with VS 2005 and SQL Server 2005. It was built as a Web Application Project, which meant using the Web Profile Builder wrapper class to enable access to user profiles. I've heard of several people getting errors with this but it worked for me out of the box. I'm inclined to think that some may have overlooked a particular section of the documentation which I am going to repeat here:
"When your project has reloaded, you need to generate the web profile class and manually include it in your project. Use the solution explorer to do this. In the solution explorer, choose the "Show All Files" option and press the "Refresh" button two times. The first time will generate the profile class and WebProfileBuilder.user file. The second time will actually show the files now that they exist. To include the generated profile class, right-click on the generated profile class and choose "Include In Project". Now you will be able to write code against the profile class."
The rest is pretty straightforward:
public partial class MyClass : System.Web.UI.Page { private WebProfile Profile { get { return new WebProfile(Context.Profile); } } protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e) { string subscriberID = Profile.subscriberID; string subscriberGroup = Profile.subscriberGroup; } ... }
Of course, the glue that holds the entire application together is the IPN class. I had previously used the freely-available IPN class from XDev Software. Note that this class is designed for regular PayPal transactions. I had to customize it to handle PayPal subscriptions. All you really have to do is pare it down to handle only the subscription-related variables you are handling on the return handshake from PayPal. The following set of return variables worked for my particular scenario; you will set these as properties of your custom IPN class:
string txn_type; string business; string item_name; string payment_gross; string payment_status; string receiver_email; string payer_email; string pending_reason; string payment_date; string subscribe_id; string first_name; string last_name; string custom;
Here's an overview of a typical subscription Web application life-cycle: 1) User subscribes on your site and is directed to the PayPal site where they pay 2) Your IPN class handshakes with PayPal and grabs the values returned by PayPal 3) Your IPN class updates your application database and generates an email to the subscriber with a return URL to register on your site 4) Your IPN class generates an email (backup) to the merchant with the subscription data 5) The subscriber creates a user account on your site and you set up any extra member info you want to store in their profile
protected void Createuserwizard1_CreatingUser(object sender, EventArgs e) { WebProfile p = WebProfile.GetProfile(CreateUserWizard1.UserName, true); p.Initialize(CreateUserWizard1.UserName, true); p.subscriberID = ViewState["SubscriberID"].ToString(); p.subscriberGroup = ViewState["Group"].ToString(); p.Save(); }
Some Gotchas: Do not use a return URL from PayPal Do not mix IPN and PDT. IPN is all you need Do not forget the Save() method when creating the profile :-S
Tags: ipn, paypal
ASP.NET | PayPal
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Thanks For The Post , Could You Provide a Another Post About Integrating PayPal Subscription Button With ASP.NET 2.0
Hi Tarik,
It's definitely on my list. I noticed however that most often the problems people are experiencing is using the PayPal sandbox and configuring the IPN.
Thanks for reading the blog; I will try and get some sample code out there real soon. Meanwhile, if you're having a specific problem please share it and perhaps someone will be able to answer it if I cannot?
Thanks Anthony For Your Reply , Might Be Soon I'll Talk About My Little Experiment With Subscription Button In PayPal
Thanks Again Your Reply
Search engines optimisation, SEO, is an evolving 'science' and it keeps changing on purpose. Most articles that I read which involve both SEO and ASP.NET usually focus on how to programatically set the meta keywords tag and they tend to make it look like very important
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subset: commoncrawl


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St. John Lutheran Church to host ice cream social
Staff Writer
Rockford Register Star
PECATONICA — St. John Lutheran Church, 1301 Jackson St., will host an ice cream social from 4:30 to 7 p.m. July 24.
The menu will include barbecue, hot dogs, baked beans, chips, pies and cakes, ice cream and drinks.
Proceeds benefit Pecatonica schools; funds will go toward milk and school supplies for children in need.
Cost: free-will offering.
For information: 815-239-2400.


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Looking for the Revolution Outside a Wendy's in Brooklyn
By 11:30 this morning, several dozen people wrapped in winter coats and wielding hand-drawn posters had assembled on the corner in front of the Wendy's on the Fulton Mall in downtown Brooklyn, across from the Modell's and the Bank of America, with the purpose of addressing that most fascinating question in labor relations: Can fast food workers ever be unionized? Here, in New York, today, a lot of fast food workers decided to skip the theory and proceed directly to the "Fuck you, pay me" phase of the process.
"I'm tired of being courteous to guests for $7.25!" thundered one of the workers to her peers. As a former McDonald's worker who was never asked to work the register due to a lack of enthusiasm for customer service, I find that sentiment very difficult to argue with. The protest at Wendy's was just one of several throughout New York City today, all part of the launch of a new unionization campaign aimed at NYC's fast food workers, one which is backed by several activist groups and big unions and dozens of organizers and is not, I daresay, fucking around. Our city is, if you open your eyes, a bit, littered with fast food restaurants—it is only the most affluent neighborhoods that can afford not to have them. All of these restaurants are staffed by our fellow New Yorkers. Many of them are paid $7.25 an hour, the state minimum wage, and they're scheduled for fewer than 30 hours a week, on average. They're asking for $15 an hour. Still not all that much to live on. But much more than they get now.
Latoya Hall, who works at a McDonald's on Eastern Parkway, had taken the day off to wave a sign in front of a Wendy's on Fulton St. A fairly remarkable act of solidarity, if you think about it. "Our boss said we need to protest to get another job," she said, laughing. She started at her McDonald's six months ago, at $7.25 an hour; she subsequently received a raise, of ten cents. When an organizers showed up at the restaurant a month ago to speak to workers about their wages being too low, she agreed. And here she was. Some of her coworkers were there too. Others agreed, but were too scared of losing their jobs to come.
"I understand. I've got two kids," Hall said. "But I've been in this game for ten years, and I'm still at square one."
Truvon Shim works at a Wendy's on Livingston Street, not far from the one where the protest was being held, and with the same owner. He lives in the Rockaways, and commutes one hour and 45 minutes to work. He said that his house was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy. "I'm sleeping on couches, in hotels, with friends," he says. Five of his coworkers were there. When they first started talking to organizers, he says, his boss told them not to, and then posted a sign at work saying that they'd be terminated if they joined a union; that sign came down, he says, after workers told the boss it was illegal. Tomorrow, Truvon will go back to work. "I have no fear," he said.
Kirsten John Foy, a dapper activist formerly of the National Action Network and the NYC Public Advocate's office, was out to support the protesters. "This is 2012. Not 1812!" he hollered, to cheers of support. "The struggle for decent livable wages is a moral issue, not a political issue," he said. Unionizing fast food workers is uncharted territory, and Foy acknowledged that it would be a long term project—"If this is a one-shot deal, then it means nothing," he said, gesturing across the protesters, who had started marching up and down the sidewalk, back and forth, perhaps just to stay warm. "Protests are one thing. Boycotts are another. Wendy's ain't the only burger flipping joint on the block."
Despite the dozens of loud strikers waving signs on the sidewalk, a slow but steady stream of oblivious customers still trickled into Wendy's for lunch. At one point, as the chants of "No music, hey! Fifteen and a union, hey!" progressed into serious hand-clapping, a hefty man in a leather jacket and braids peeked out of the Wendy's door; then, fast food bag in hand, stepped out onto to the sidewalk and started dancing, while eating his fries. He was followed out, moments later, by a Wendy's employee with a nametag reading "Alex," who emerged to raucous shouts and pounds all around. It was indeed Alex's rock star moment. Someone produced a boombox, and "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now" was played.
One of the leaders of the workers, a woman in a pink and black Northface jacket and dyed red hair and the sort of natural charisma that comes with having Enough Of This Shit, stood in front of everyone for an Occupy-style mic check. She had been there, on the corner, since early in the morning, dragging her kids in tow. "Guess what, Wendy's?" she hollered. "My kids said to tell you, next time they gotta wake up early, they want 15 and a union. I can't even get a cab for $7.25! If I can't get my 15 and a union, guess what, Wendy's? You can't get your labor. Because I'm tired."
Part-time, minimum-wage, fast food work would make anyone tired. Fast food workers do not generally have the public's respect. They are mocked as easily replaceable, unskilled, shiftless. They do not have political power. They certainly do not have money. But, as evidenced by the Not To Be Fucked With look on that woman's face and the words she spoke, they do have the single piece class consciousness that has launched a thousand revolutions throughout history. "I'm calling the shots," she roared, "because I do the labor!"


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An Epic Biscuit…The Sequel, And Garden Update
On Occasion I make a recipe and it turns out great and the second time I make it, it flops. Since I have sought the perfect biscuit recipe like seeking the Holy Grail for years and having found a great one on try #1, I decided to make them again to see if my results are the same.
Notice the photo is better, I used a dark background and that makes a huge difference in the photo quality IMHO.
The second go around the biscuits rose but not quite as high, it could be that I patted the dough down a bit thinner than the last time, I did not place them as close together on the sheet pan, or that my buttermilk was not as fresh who knows but they still rose nicely, were tender, fluffy and delicious. I wrapped and froze them for another day.
In July I had my garden re worked to help me with diminishing the weed population and hopefully the mosquitoes too. Happy to report that although I still have some weeds they are about 90% better than before and almost manageable for me to take care of myself. I have only killed 4 or 5 of the plants that were initially planted (may not have been my fault). Also my herbs including the basil are doing really well. I am also very happy that there are less mosquitoes this year as well so I can enjoy my backyard.
Jessica planted sunflowers, it is her signature flower and when she initially put them in the ground they were about a foot tall. Now they are over 6 ft tall and look at this beauty.
In closing I believe this biscuit recipe is a keeper and will be made over and over again. Since I already gave credit to the author in my last post and there is no way to contact her I am including the recipe in this post.
Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
From Food.com Author P4
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board ( if you can get White Lily flour, your biscuits will be even better)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder ( use one without aluminum)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ( approx)1/2 cup sugar ( for topping) NOTE I did not put sugar on mine
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
- Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.
- If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
- Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.
- If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk. It should be very wet.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
- Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2″ thick. Fold the dough about 5 times, gently press the dough down to a 1 inch thick.
- Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.
- You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
- Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
- If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
Hi Suzanne, garden looks lovely! Biscuits-success! Woo Hoo! Your Florida Bud, CherylAugust 30, 2015
Hi Cheryl, yes so glad that I finally have a biscuit recipe and thanks for the garden compliment too!August 30, 2015
Woah yeah…. those really are epic biscuits. Every bit as mouthwatering as the other batch! Suzanne, your garden is so lovely. It's a delight to have a look at it. Mega hugs!August 30, 2015
Thanks so much Teagan. Must say I was nervous making a second batch but so glad when they turned out just as good.August 30, 2015
Though I haven't had any in years, biscuits are one of my favorite things. I grew up with them for any meal. It's probably hard to make a biscuit that i do NOT like. 😀 And I doubt you could make anything that was not delicious. You're a natural talent. Hugs.August 30, 2015
Oh you are too kind honestly my biscuits prior to this are legendary and not in a good way. If you did not have some sort of liquid to wash it down you cod seriously choke they were dry and heavy and hard. Really bad! As a southerner you know your biscuits and I will guarantee you would not have appreciated my attempts. LOL!August 30, 2015
If you vouch for the recipe, I am keeping it too…those biscuits look fabulous.
The garden is in good shape too..love that basil and sunflower!❤August 30, 2015
Thanks Sonal, it's a great biscuit recipe. I am in love with the sunflowers.August 30, 2015
Everything is perfect – Thank you ! 😉August 30, 2015
Thank you so much!August 30, 2015
Those biscuits look wonderfully flaky Suzanne! And your garden is gorgeous!!August 30, 2015
Thank you so much I can't believe how lucky I was to find this recipe.August 30, 2015
The biscuits look delicious! I'm definitely going to give you recipe a try. I haven't had much luck with biscuits in the past hopefully your recipe will change that 🙂 Garden looks amazing, especially the sun flower!August 30, 2015
Hi Meaghan, I have never had any luck at all with biscuits until I made this recipe. Follow it exactly and you will have great results. Thanks so much.August 30, 2015
Hi! Love the sunflower and your garden picture! Sounds like you have it all figured out, weeds are annoying! Love the biscuits!August 30, 2015
I hate weeds with a passion. They are so annoying, Thanks so much Lynz.August 30, 2015
they are so annoying and back after a day!August 30, 2015
OMG, I know and it's so hard to get the root and even when you do they still manage to pop up so quickly. I planted creeping thyme in between the stone which helped a little but they still rear their ugly heads.August 30, 2015
Since what we call biscuits are what you call cookies I get very confused. What would be our equivalent, is it like a bread? It looks quite like what we call a scone, what forms part of a Cornish Cream Tea but yours looks to be more savoury. I wish we could speak the same language sometimes. What do you est the biscuit with?
xxx Huge Hugs xxxAugust 30, 2015
Hi David, a biscuit is a scone, delicious either served as a bread and part of the savory meal or with butter and jam and some tea. Biscuits/scones are also lovely with some strawberries and whipped cream what we call strawberry shortcake. I forget sometimes that my friends in England/Ireland/Scotland use the term scone they are one in the same. Thank you so much David.August 30, 2015
I love that the epic biscuits have a sequel! They look just as good and your garden looks spectacular. Those herbs look good enough to eat!August 30, 2015
Thanks Michelle sequels rarely meet the expectations of the original but happy these did, thanks so much!August 30, 2015
Such a lovey garden and you're so lucky to have all these fresh herbs! I'm sure this brings a bit of comfort… 🙂August 30, 2015
It does thank you so much. Next year I hope to grow tomatoes. I need to dry the herbs there are more than I can possibly use fresh. Thank you so much Ronit.August 30, 2015
I love seeing your computer!August 30, 2015
I meant your "garden" – Larry was talking to me about my computer while I was typing – LOL…August 30, 2015
LOL, my garden is doing well, I am really pleased with the results of the redux. thanks Liz.August 30, 2015
Your biscuits look wonderful! I am so jealous that you are able to have a garden and grow one of my favorites, basil!August 30, 2015
Your garden's looking great. And the plants seem to be thriving. Aren't sunflower's fun? I used to grow loads of them from seed, including a chocolate type. And you can always dry out the seedheads of yours for next year. As hybrids, and if seeds are sown, they may not be the same type. But they're so fun I never cared if they were different from the year before. 🙂August 30, 2015
Thank you. Well I have had a few plants die, not sure if it was me or the plant. Yes sunflowers are fun and beautiful. Never saw chocolate variety bet they are gorgeous. Never thought of harvesting seeds when do you do that? Thanks Johnny!August 30, 2015
After the petals drop the seeds will start to develop on the large disc. You'll know when to harvest the seeds as they'll start to drop out. Don't remember if I told you, but leave their root system in the ground over winter (just cut down to a few inches) as the roots will compost auto, feeding the soil, and where the roots were will leave pockets of air that'll help to aerate the soil as well. All good stuff!August 31, 2015
Thank you the flowers just bloomed so there is away to go. Will keep an eye out thank you.August 31, 2015
I haven't seen small basil like that before, they look like such healthy plants Suzanne! I struggle to get my plants to survive. Partly due to the hot weather where I live and partly as I can only grow plants in balcony pots. Loving the update on your garden. And that biscuit recipe will definitely be tried in my home very soon! XxAugust 30, 2015
So good to see you Laura, thank you so much. I wish I could say that I knew what I was doing in the garden but can't, I am afraid I can't take any credit for how well the plants are other than I am the one who waters them. I am notoriously bad with plants. I imagine it is very hot in Australia and that makes it hard. Hope you are well and thanks so much.August 31, 2015
I just want you to know how many pugs I see on a daily bases lately. As if Nando is saying hello!August 30, 2015
Oh Elizabeth thank you so much for that, I believe Nando is saying Hello to me. Thank you so much!!August 31, 2015
Great biscuits and wonderful that you've found the kind you really like. Your garden looks gorgeous, love the sunflower, and that basil, my oh my!! So why do you think the mosquitoes aren't as bad this year? I'd love to find an answer to that. Our backyard is pretty shady, so the wee pests hang out there.August 30, 2015
I don't know why the mosquitoes are not as bad this year, could be because my garden was re arranged and thinned out, not as many weeds or we had a really cold winter last year and the little buggers didn't survive the freezing cold. It's great not to be devoured everytime I go outside, a little spray or citronella candle and its pretty good out there,. My backyard gets full on sun and the bugs seem to love that as well as shade, Non discriminatory I guess. Thanks so much.August 31, 2015
Your garden is looking beautiful! 🙂 I love these biscuits but with what do you eat them? sliced open with butter & smoked salmon? I will be making these tasty sweeties! Yumm!August 31, 2015
Thanks Sophie, I generally have them with butter and jam or made into a breakfsst sandwich with egg, cheese and bacon, They are really good.August 31, 2015
I bet you held your breath when you made the biscuits again didn't you?? They look fab 🙂 and the garden looks lovely xxAugust 31, 2015
I did, I was just waiting to fail, honestly it has happened before,. Was thrilled they turned out well a second time and now I really believe it's a really good recipe. Thanks so much Elaine.August 31, 2015
🙂August 31, 2015
You have a beautiful garden and your biscuits look perfect!August 31, 2015
Thanks Katerina so glad to see you.August 31, 2015
Epic for sure Anatoli, thanks so much,August 31, 2015
They look good to me Suzanne 🙂 and I love your backyard garden it looks great, so glad you have been able to enjoy it!! Cheers!!! 🙂August 31, 2015
Thanks so much Amy, being able to sit in the backyard is great. Can't wait for the weather to cool down a bit it will be even better. Will get some wood and fire up the fire pit and make s'mores.August 31, 2015
Thanks so much Linda.August 31, 2015
Oh girl, this absolutely makes me think of my moms biscuits. She makes buttermilk biscuits that are to die for and I wish she would give me the recipe lol. I will give your recipe a try and I can't wait to eat it with jam and maybe some syrup.August 31, 2015
I could not comment on your last blog post but wanted you to know that I agree with what you said and Hooray for the small bloggers. I think you have an awesome brand and love your blog,August 31, 2015
Get your Mom's recipe, having a treasured family recipe especially for Southern biscuits is something to be coveted. Love a good biscuit and thanks.August 31, 2015
Wow garden looks beutiful.. Sun flower sight s stil in my eyes.. Biscuit looks yumAugust 31, 2015
I love the sunflowers never grew them before and I am so proud that they are doing so well. Thank you so much.September 1, 2015
Thank you so much, love your sunflowers in your Gravatar.September 1, 2015
😀 Looks just as good second time around Suzanne! I'll have to give this buttermilk version a try too… must have a lovely tang to it.
Your garden is looking fabulous… lush, green and so pretty with all the flowers!August 31, 2015
It is really good, the recipe is a keeper. I tried one yesterday that I had frozen and still soft and moist.
Thanks so much I am happy my garden is doing pretty well, only a few casualties.September 1, 2015
Your garden is so beautiful, I love sunflower, yours look so gorgeous!September 1, 2015
Thanks so much Jasline.September 1, 2015
Hello Suzanne! I love biscuits too, was planning to try some new biscuit recipes during the summer but still haven't got a time for that, hope will make them soon. 🙂
Garden looks lovely!
Have a good day!September 1, 2015
Hi Mila, hope you try out this recipe. Its really good. The most important lesson I learned is not ot over work the dough, a light hand and minimal touching of the dough and you get tender biscuits. Thanks so much.September 1, 2015
Thanks for the tip! Will let you know when I try this recipe.September 1, 2015
Suzanne, your garden looks tremendous!! Look at your happy basil! And I'm so jealous of your biscuits. Mine just never turn out quite as light and puffy as I'd like. I will try your recipe! Hope you are doing well!! xoSeptember 1, 2015
Thank you so much Em, I know my basil for the first time in years is really happy. Love it!! Try this recipe following the directions exactly and the results are all but guaranteed. Amazing really. Thanks again.September 1, 2015
I'm so glad they turned out for you again, Suzanne! I really can't wait to try them. I love your garden. The basil and sunflowers look so healthy and beautiful. What a great place to hang out!September 1, 2015
Me too Shari thank you. My garden is pretty happy and I am very glad about that. Only a few casualties this summer, killed or let them die not sure but all in all healthy plants. Thanks so much.September 1, 2015
Your garden is lovely, Suzanne!
By the way, I'll be in NY with my family October 23-26. I'd love to meet up with you again if you have some free time!September 1, 2015
Yes would love to meet you then!!September 2, 2015
I'll be in touch once the date draws nearer!September 3, 2015
Yes let me know!September 3, 2015
Hey Suzanne, loving the garden pictures! You have such a nice outdoor space so love seeing how green it is! I'm a big biscuit fan so I have to try your homemade ones! With all the jalapenos we have been picking in the garden I finally have a jalapeno cheddar bread recipe that I've been making weekly so I'd love to try to jalapeno up these biscuits!September 2, 2015
Sounds wonderful Pamela, I am so envious of your gardening ability. You are the plant whisperer. Thank you so much.September 2, 2015
Yes, they do look better with a dark background. Food photography… ai yai yai! Your garden looks like a little oasis! 🙂September 2, 2015
Starting to learn more about photographing food. It's a challenge for me, light is an issue in my home. The dark background really did make a difference with the biscuit though. Thanks Fae.September 2, 2015
Your garden is gorgeous! I will have to give these biscuits a try, they look wonderful 🙂September 3, 2015
Thank you Sarah they are really good biscuits!September 3, 2015
That sunflower was glorious Suzanne!! Fun to get a little peek at your backyard. Happy weekend ahead!September 4, 2015
Thanks Rhonda, I am waiting for the petals to fall off and I will harvest the seeds. My first time having sunflowers in the garden, they are so beautiful.September 6, 2015
I love them too Suzanne– When we lived in southern Spain for those years, there were hills of sunflowers as far as you could see in June- all surrounding our pueblo–smallish ones, used to make cooking oil from the seeds. It was striking against the blue skies– and you knew the hot hot summer was not far behind.September 7, 2015
Food Daydreaming #
The biscuits do sound lovely! You have a gorgeous garden, Suzanne!September 6, 2015
Thank you, the biscuits were a revelation for me. The garden has been a work in progress for so long I finally feel it's coming together.September 6, 2015
wow Suzanne – what a biscuit I must try it some time soon, and your garden is now an oasis of peace compared to the before and after photos – the landscapers did a great job – love the Basil :)!September 6, 2015
Thanks Poli, I can't believe I actually have a backyard I can enjoy now.September 6, 2015
it's beautiful – love the sunflowersSeptember 6, 2015
WOW! The biscuits look amazing! I must give your recipe a try! You have a lovely garden!September 7, 2015
You won't be disappointed they are really good! Thank you Marcela.September 8, 2015
I WILL be trying these biscuits. They look fantastic! And that basil plant! Beautiful!September 7, 2015
I can't believe I actually have basil this year. It's amazing. Both plants are doing so well. Thanks so much,September 8, 2015
You have such a beautiful garden Suzanne! I can picture you in it, enjoying these delectable biscuits for breakfast!September 7, 2015
It's so nice to be able to enjoy the backyard this year. Thanks so much Viviana.September 8, 2015
Your backyard is beautiful…looks like you did a wonderful job! I was just out weeding a bit today, but there is still so much to do! 😛 And, I will be trying your biscuit recipe. I have searching for a good one, since it has been on my bucket list just the English muffins. The ones you made look fantasticly delicious!September 8, 2015
The english muffins are on my bucket list. This winter definitely, Thank you so much Laila.September 8, 2015
Those biscuits looks so flaky and scrumptious Suzanne…. and lovely garden you have….September 8, 2015
Thanks so much Chitra.September 8, 2015
Ah yes, the common – I made an amazing recipe… And then you make it again and it's not so good! Happens to me all the time, ha ha ha!September 8, 2015
Don't you hate when that happens. I always think it has to be me and I did something wrong or different. Thanks Gigi.September 9, 2015
Beautiful and well maintained garden Suzanne. The biscuits stand out against the dark background. Looking crisp and scrumptious 🙂September 9, 2015
Thank you so much, starting to prep the garden for winter, hard to believe it won't be long. I like the dark background it really does make the biscuit stand out,September 9, 2015
These biscuits look so fluffy! Bookmarking to try soon! You garden is absolutely beautiful! 😀September 9, 2015
Thanks Jess, it's a really good recipe.September 9, 2015
Your biscuits look PERFECT Suzanne, and your garden is beautiful!! I found this year to be just ideal for gardening. Everything was so abundant and even the rabbits and birds stayed away from my little one upstate. Make some pesto!!September 27, 2015
MyKabulKitchen #
I have such a weakness for buttery biscuits, but have never tried it at home…since you have worked so hard to find the perfect recipe, I definitely feel motivated to give this a try 🙂November 22, 2015
I do too, unfortunately I have a weakness for foods that aren't waistline friendly. These biscuits are really good and I have made them many times and each time they don't disappoint. Thank you so much.November 22, 2015


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EIFL has been working in Laos since 2003. We supported the creation of the Laos Library and Information Consortium (LALIC), and through this partnership, libraries in Laos are providing access to a wide range of scholarly e-resources.
In Laos, EIFL has supported national and institutional open access awareness raising workshops which resulted in the launch of an open access repository at the National University of Laos. EIFL also provided training and a support service to raise awareness of library copyright issues, and to assist with copyright questions.


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Brian Klepper
Posted 11/12/12 on Medscape Connect's Care & Cost Blog
The most striking aspect of the election was that it decisively clarified the philosophical preferences of most Americans. And because the outcome was largely determined by minorities, women, and the young, it appeared to be a much broader and more independently-minded vision than most pundits have given the electorate credit for. That unexpectedly portends big changes.
Peggy Noonan's analysis in the Wall Street Journal quotes a brutal summation by conservative activist Heather Higgins:
A majority of the American people believe that the one good point about Republicans is they won't raise taxes. However they also believe Republicans caused the economic mess in the first place and might do it again, cannot be trusted to care about cutting spending in a way that is remotely concerned about who it hurts, and are retrograde to the point of caricature on everything else.
Those on the far right expected that rank-and-file Americans would come to agree that Democrats have embraced a freeloader society that is largely responsible for our economic woes. It wasn't that the majority didn't get a chance to hear them out. On TV ads, Romney outspent Obama by 19 percent – $472 million to $396 million, respectively. It appears that most voters heard and rejected the right's point of view.
And, in fact, the majority's perspective is more in line with the facts on the budget deficit's underlying drivers. A straightforward analysis by the Center for American Progress shows the contributors to the current $6 trillion deficit. The recession accounts for about 26 percent. The Bush tax cuts are responsible for 20 percent and that Administration's other actions, like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, contributed another 40 percent. The Obama Administration's stimulus package accounts for 6 percent and their other spending policies make up another 8 percent.
From 2007 to 2010 — roughly the start of the recession through the early the recovery — total spending has grown from $10,000 per needy adult, to $15,000. Unemployment isn't the only reason. Programs now have looser eligibility rules, opening them up to more folks.In other words, there's no question that safety net entitlements are a big part of our long term fiscal crisis, but they're not the cause of our current dilemma. That's not to say that "handouts" haven't significantly increased during this Administration. They have. As an Atlantic review of a recent study by University of Chicago professor Casey Mulligan recounts:
Mulligan argues that dependence on handouts may have kept some people from seeking work.
That's possible. But there's also an argument for the value of safety nets. This from the same Atlantic article:
A study by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities found that the number of Americans living in poverty grew just 0.6% from 2007 to 2010. Without the government's help, it would have grown by 4.2%.
In other words, in a time of severe economic distress, programs for the poor kept millions of Americans from sickness and hunger.
Of course, dismissing our budgetary woes as the result of liberal giveaways is spin that tries to divert attention from deeper structural problems with the status qruo. Health care spending is the largest driver of the US government's budget growth. Between 30 percent ($765 billion/year) and 55 percent (almost $1.47 trillion/year) of total US health expenditures provides no value, because the care or administration is unnecessary, inappropriate, or egregiously priced. (There are culprits in every health care sector: brokers, health plans, physicians, health systems, drug/device firms.) We spend huge amounts on the wrong things, and these wasted funds are unavailable for other needs.
The morning after the election, Ezra Klein pointed out in the Washington Post that, whatever his failings, Mr. Obama had passed three momentous pieces of legislation: the health care reform law, the Dodd-Frank financial reforms, and a series of tax increases. He observed:
On their own, passing and implementing any of these laws would be a huge achievement for a presidency. The three of them together are a record and pace of domestic change unmatched by any recent administration. But they were an odd sort of change: Change that wouldn't happen until – and arguably unless – Obama secured a second term.
For anyone who pays for or is involved with health care, then, the President's re-election and the Democrat's continuing Senate majority mean that the reform law's uncertainty is now over. It's contentiousness notwithstanding, the law will move us forward, though it will be refined and amplified in many ways. It's many provisions will push us toward universal coverage, toward individual coverage through the exchanges, toward greater empowerment of primary care, toward changes in how care is guided, delivered and paid for.
The Affordable Care Act is not altogether good or bad but an imperfect mix, the result of a well-intentioned Herculean effort to address very real and significant problems in our current system, forged in a legislative environment that openly invites special interests to influence policy in exchange for money. Around $1.2 billion in campaign contributions changed hands on this one issue in 2009, more than on any piece of legislation in US history. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that, in its present form, PPACA will cost $938 billion and save $138 billion over the next decade, or something less than 2% of current national health care expenditures. While not cheap, the reform law's provisions could significantly and positively influence the way that US health care works.
Perhaps the insights of Robert Caro, the two-time Pulitzer prize winner for his biographies explicating political power, are of value here. In an NPR interview this weekend, he compared the health care reform law's progress to Lyndon Johnson's challenge with the civil rights bill, noting:
I myself think this health insurance bill has a lot of major flaws. But I think it's going to be a lot easier to go back and fix it now that we started with that major bill.
More than any national election in memory, this one appeared to offer the clearest referendum on our national path. For all their misgivings, America's voters chose to move forward with significant change. Much is still unknown about how this will play out in health care, but the nation voted to try to get beyond our current morass. Nothing is guaranteed or will happen overnight. But to me, it looks like a good start.


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For those of you who can't understand how Pac-10 teams generally put up credible SOS numbers each year, the Wiz has some information to share.
UPDATE: ESPN.com's Ted Miller thinks the admiration for its OOC schedule and five bucks will get the Pac-10 an iced latte at Starbucks, and urges the conference to dump the round robin schedule (h/t EDSBS). I still think the conference championship game is the more likely route, but I get his point. (Of course, it might have helped if the conference hadn't been skunked by the Mountain West last season.)


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皇冠信用网app(www.hg108.vip):Look to Indonesia\u2019s digital prowess, Annuar tells local broadcasters
Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa says he is drawn to developments in Indonesian broadcaster MNC Group, which is taking full advantage of the digital era to transform the way it delivers its services. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, August 20, 2022.澳洲幸运5官网(www.a55555.net)是澳洲幸运5彩票官方网站,开放澳洲幸运5彩票会员开户、澳洲幸运5彩票代理开户、澳洲幸运5彩票线上投注、澳洲幸运5实时开奖等服务的平台。
THE broadcasting industry ecosystem in Indonesia is impressively comprehensive in line with the rapid growth of the digital era, an achievement that should be emulated by Malaysian broadcasters, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa said.
In this regard, he encouraged Malaysian broadcasting networks to establish cooperation with their Indonesian counterparts despite there being a significant difference in their demographic composition and markets.
"The important thing is that (the industry in Indonesia) is responsive to market participation and has created an integrated ecosystem and business that I consider very forward-looking," he said.
Annuar said this after a visit to the MNC Studios, owned by the largest and most integrated media group in Southeast Asia, MNC Group, in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.
MNC Studios is an integrated office and studio complex for MNC Group's three free-to-air TV stations – RCTI, GTV and MNCTV.,
Annuar said MNC has managed to take full advantage of technological developments and current demands, and is not bound to conventional methods.
"I am extremely drawn to developments (in MNC), including those related to animation and the 'super app approach', which is very market-driven," he said.
Annuar said MNC owner Hary Tanoesoedibjo is a visionary and a practical individual who has introduced a proven business model.
Annuar concluded his programme today by witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Malaysian company 4ward Pictures and digital entertainment company PT Melon Indonesia to cooperate in producing and distributing content in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The signing ceremony took place at the office of PT Melon, which is a subsidiary of Telkom Group Indonesia, in South Jakarta.
Also accompanying Annuar on the visit, held in conjunction with his three-day working trip from Thursday, were Chargé d'Affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia Adlan Mohd Shaffieq, and National Film Development Corporation chief executive officer Md Nasir Ibrahim. – Bernama, August 20, 2022.


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Did you know that most U.S. states — 33, to be exact — allow prison officers to shackle female inmates to their hospital beds while they are giving birth?
California is no longer one of them — Univision reports that the state recently passed a law that will ban jails from using "leg irons, waist chains and handcuffs behind the body" on women during labor, delivery or recovery — but the fact that the Golden State is in the minority makes it all the more obvious that prisons are ill-equipped to deal with female inmates.
Shackling pregnant women isn't just disrespectful (to say the least); the American Medical Association has officially deemed the practice unsafe, "medically hazardous," and "barbaric." That hasn't stopped prisons from doing it — even in Illinois, which has anti-shackling laws, a class-action lawsuit filed by 80 female inmates claimed they were shackled while giving birth as well as recovering. (They won a $4.1 settlement.)
It's not like most of the women being restrained are sociopaths or mass murderers, either. Univision's Cristina Costantini points out that immigrant detainees who are only guilty of crossing the border are often victims of the practice, even if they're just "detained":
Federal prisons and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) do not shackle pregnant inmates during the birthing process. However, if a woman goes into labor while placed on a so-called immigration "detainer," a period in which ICE asks local authorities to hold inmates for possible deportation, she will be subject to shackling policies of the local authorities, which vary state-by-state. For those jailed for immigration offenses, the treatment seems particularly extreme, [Malika Saar, an advocate who heads an anti-shackling coalition with The Rebecca Project for Human Rights] said.
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"Pregnant women are the most vulnerable and the least threatening in the prison system and should rarely, if ever, be restrained," Alicia M. Walters, a reproductive justice advocate with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California, wrote after California passed the new law. Will more states follow suit?
Should a Woman Be Shackled While Giving Birth? Most States Think So [Univision]
Image via Pavlov Mikhail/Shutterstock.


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The sensors, made of carbon nanotubes wrapped in DNA, can detect chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin as well as environmental toxins and free radicals that damage DNA.
"We've made a sensor that can be placed in living cells, healthy or malignant, and actually detect several different classes of molecules that damage DNA," said Michael Strano, associate professor of chemical engineering and senior author of a paper on the work appearing in the Dec. 14 online edition of Nature Nanotechnology.
MIT Tech TV
Michael Strano and Daniel Heller discuss a new nanosensor and its applications.
Video: Anne Trafton/MIT News Office
Such sensors could be used to monitor chemotherapy patients to ensure the drugs are effectively battling tumors. Many chemotherapy drugs are very powerful DNA disruptors and can cause serious side effects, so it is important to make sure that the drugs are reaching their intended targets.
"You could figure out not only where the drugs are, but whether a drug is active or not," said Daniel Heller, a graduate student in chemical engineering and lead author of the paper.
The sensor can detect DNA-alkylating agents, a class that includes cisplatin, and oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals.
Using the sensors, researchers can monitor living cells over an extended period of time. The sensor can pinpoint the exact location of molecules inside cells, and for one agent, hydrogen peroxide, it can detect a single molecule.
The new technology takes advantage of the fact that carbon nanotubes fluoresce in near-infrared light. Human tissue does not, which makes it easier to see the nanotubes light up.
Each nanotube is coated with DNA, which binds to DNA-damaging agents present in the cell. That interaction between the DNA and DNA disruptor changes the intensity and/or wavelength of the fluorescent light emitted by the nanotube. The agents produce different signatures that can be used to identify them.
"We can differentiate between different types of molecules depending on how they interact," Strano said.
Because they are coated in DNA, these nanotube sensors are safe for injection in living cells. (Nanotubes can come in many different lengths and can be coated with different materials, which influences whether they are safe or toxic, Strano said.)
In future studies, the researchers plan to use the sensors to study the effects of various antioxidants, such as the compounds in green tea, and learn how to more effectively use toxic chemotherapy drugs.
Other authors of the paper include MIT graduate student Hong Jin of the Department of Chemical Engineering. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also contributed to the work, which was funded by the National Science Foundation.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on December 17, 2008 (download PDF).


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As a big fan of Food Network I couldn't miss "The Pioneer Woman" cooking show. Even my husband wanted to watch it. His motives were totally different from mine, though. I am not a cowgirl (neither my husband wish to be a cowboy) and do not wish to be one but I wouldn't mind to have a few animals, my own fruit and veggy garden and to live in the middle of nowhere. Though, that's a totally different image from Ree Drummond'a life. I actually think that with my plans and dreams of a small farm I would be more of a cowgirl that she is.
No, I am not Ree Drummond fan. I do not read her blog. I used to be interested in her photography tips but I'm not anymore. I do not have any of her books, btw, from what I've read about them they are really poorly written and every single recipe she's selling in one of her books are available for FREE on her blog.
After watching her show I though: gosh, is she a superwoman or what? homeschooling, cooking, baking, keeping sinfully clean not one but two houses, blogging all about it, editing photos, creating her own Photoshop actions, and tutorials, and much more! How do you do that Ree? In between you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrading, not your home, but the guest house on your property?
After I saw a few episodes of her show I asked myself: Why living in a cattle ranch (in ranch in general) she always buys meat and eggs and veggies and actually EVERYTHING?! Kinda weird. Isn't it?!
Then I started reading about her and her life. She has never worked a day in her entire life. She's got maids to do all the work for her. I wouldn't be surprise if she had somebody who writes that blog of hers for her. She grew up as a millionaire and got married to a millionaire. She is one of the bored and rich house wifes. The difference is she does not live in Orange County or Beverly Hills or Chicago on New York. She lives in Oklahoma in the middle of nowhere and she is just a bit more talented (smarter) and more bored than those house wifes of big cities of whom BravoTv is filled up with.
… and I got really tired of her fake tv show image of "simple rancher's wife" living "simple life" in a "simple ranch". ugh…
… and I'm quite disappointed by Food Network by having Ree on their website list of "chefs" among cooks like Alexandra Guarnaschellli, Boby Flay, Anne Burrell or Robert Irvine. Those people should be really offended.
… and I laugh reading "An Open Letter to Ree Drummond". As I have never been her big fan I totally understand that letter… or this website.
… and Ree…. thanks for your recipe for "Egg in hole". That's the only thing that turned out useful from your show. My husband loves it.


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June 6, 2007— -- Stem cell researchers may have taken the first steps toward conducting stem cell research without having to take the controversial step of destroying human embryos.
If the results can be replicated in human cells, the development could one day silence the arguments of those opposed to embryonic stem cell research on the basis that it violates the sanctity of human life.
"This research in fact lowers the level of ethical concern over reprogramming studies," said Dr. Martin Pera of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. "If it is no longer necessary to make embryos or use eggs to create patient or disease-specific stem cell lines, there are few ethical barriers to the work."
Even those who have been outspoken in their opposition to stem cell research in the past were pleased with the new findings.
"Because [this research] does not raise the moral problem of creating or destroying embryos, it may offer a way for people of all faiths and all ethical backgrounds to study, use, subsidize, and enjoy any therapeutic benefits of...stem cell research," said Richard Doerflinger, secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"This would be a 'win' for science, ethics and society."
Scientists in the field hail the findings, presented in the form of four new studies, as the most promising stem cell work in years.
Rudolf Jaenisch of MIT's Whitehead Institute, Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University and Konrad Hochedlinger of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute published papers in Nature and the new journal Cell Stem Cell that reveal a genetic fountain of youth that "rewinds the clock" on adult mouse cells.
In doing so, the researchers were able to use adult tissue to yield cells that look and act like stem cells.
They hope that the findings will one day lead to the creation of human stem cell equivalents that could be used in medical research.
MIT study co-author Marius Wernig explained that adult mouse skin cells were "reprogrammed" back to a stem cell-like state using a kind of genetic deception. Viruses similar to the HIV virus inserted four key genes into the cells. The proteins made by the genes encouraged pluripotency -- the ability of the cells to be morphed into different types of tissues.
Pluripotency is the basis of stem cells' potential to grow new tissues and organs under the guidance of scientists.
"We can basically reverse the development [of adult cells]," Wernig said. "We ran the cells through a battery of tests, and there was no difference between them and embryonic stem cells."
In contrast, he added, "Nuclear transfer [to grow new stem cells] is ethically challenging, and it involves the destruction of an embryo."
Dr. William Hurlbut, a Stanford University professor and a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, added, "Direct reprogramming is way to go. No eggs are involved. It doesn't go all the way to the beginning [of the cell's life]. It's like going from 12th grade to first grade, not kindergarten."
Hurlbut envisions a future in which stem cell treatments will help many people and where the treatments will be derived in ethically sound ways that do not trouble deeply religious patients.
But challenges still exist. Tumors developed frequently in mice that were cloned from the altered cells, because the genes that make them pluripotent also cause cancer later in life. The researchers agreed that the technique would have to be modified before it could be used on human cells.
Harvard's Hochedlinger, publishing in Cell Stem Cell, demonstrated that the reprogrammed cells retained crucial "epigenetic markers" that are important for the cell's function.
"There should be no fear," he stated, that the reprogramming itself would make cellular processes go awry. His team also found that these markers showed up in subsequent generations of the unique mouse cell line, and that the faux "stem cells" could be coaxed into "therapeutically relevant cell types, like heart tissue and blood."
Dr. George Daley of the Harvard Children's Hospital expressed concern about the political implications of the work. "It is important to note that the opponents of stem cell research will seize upon these studies as cause to stop funding human [embryonic stem] cell research...that these alternatives obviate the need to use embryos in research."
Meanwhile, Dr. Kevin Eggan of Harvard University's Stem Cell Institute has a paper in Nature that debunks the scientific belief that only unfertilized eggs can have their genetic material swapped out in place of new DNA.
This means that scientists may one day use fertilized human eggs to create clones, from which stem cells could be harvested for research.
In a phone interview, Eggan explained that, for over a year, he had had funding and review board approval to create genetic clones -- and human stem cell lines -- from human eggs, just like Dolly the sheep was created by plucking the gene-containing nucleus out of an egg and replacing it with an adult sheep's DNA.
But he needed human eggs. While women readily respond to advertisements for egg donation in newspapers of elite colleges -- "$10,000 if you're blond and blue-eyed with a high SAT score" -- medical researchers cannot compensate women in the same way that infertile couples can.
Despite thousands of dollars in ads running in paid Boston-area publications, Eggan couldn't find a single donor. When they heard they wouldn't be paid for the months of hormonal treatment and sometimes painful egg retrieval, all the women declined.
"That left us with a lot of time to get back to first principles, to think about why we needed unfertilized eggs in the first place," said Eggan.
At a conference, it clicked -- human frozen fertilized eggs are plentiful. In the lab, mouse fertilized eggs, halted at a crucial step in cell division, received new nuclei from other mouse cells. The new embryos -- clones -- continued to develop into baby mice.
The paper notes that even eggs with severe defects accepted the new genetic material and developed.
"[On their own] these eggs would never have made a viable fetus," said Eggan, adding that he hopes that fertility clinics that would normally throw away such defective cells will instead donate them to research.
"There are a half million fertilized eggs created every year in the U.S., and 3-10 percent of those will not develop. The embryologist can see that they don't have the right number of chromosomes, even at the one-celled stage."
Currently, couples who choose to donate their unneeded or defective embryos for medical research go through a separate process of consent from the consent for in vitro fertilization. Eggan said, "We as a scientific community want to be especially sensitive" at this time of personal decision-making. Eggan has already received donations of fertilized eggs, or zygotes, from such couples.
Eggan, Hochedlinger and Wernig emphasized that they support the current efforts in stem cell research, and that their experiments were not designed to create a way out of stem cell and cloning controversy.
Rather than moving away from using traditional methods for stem cell research, the new methods in mice offer additional options for researchers. Hochedlinger stated, "[Genetic reprogramming] does not make other approaches obsolete. We haven't applied the results to humans. It would be a mistake to ban somatic cell nuclear transfer."
Other scientists were enthusiastic about the findings.
Sean Morrison of the University of the Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology wrote of the genetic reprogramming work: "This is a remarkable achievement that contributes important new insights to our understanding of pluripotency. Nonetheless, it would be premature to conclude that this represents a replacement for traditional embryonic stem cell research."
Hochedlinger agreed. "We have to study human embryonic stem cells to understand how they work, to achieve reprogramming in human cells."


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Heartwarming Affirm Jokes that Make You Laugh
After many years of philosophizing, I have decided to affirm the principle of non-contradiction...
...And deny it.
Affirmation or irony?
Following is our collection of funny Affirm jokes. There are some affirm totally jokes no one knows (to tell your friends) and to make you laugh out loud.
Take your time to read those puns and riddles where you ask a question with answers, or where the setup is the punchline. We hope you will find these affirm jen puns funny enough to tell and make people laugh.
...And deny it.
Just think that there are jokes based on truth that can bring down governments, or jokes which make girl laugh. Many of the affirm mom puns are supposed to be funny, but some can be offensive. When jokes go too far, we try to silence them and it will be great if you give us feedback every time when a joke become inappropriate.
We suggest to use only working affirm allege piadas for adults and blagues for friends. Some of the dirty witze and dark jokes are funny, but use them with caution in real life. Try to remember funny jokes you've never heard to tell your friends and will make you laugh.


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