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May 02, 2014 | Carpet One Floor & Home
We know that beautiful, natural stone is great for floors. (If you don't, check out Stone Floors - Inspired by Nature) But, there are other ways that you can use this natural element in your home decor. Here are three great ways to incorporate a little stone decor into your life. And they're all super easy to use.
Clockwise from top left: Grandin Road, Zoe Jewelry & Gifts, Grandin Road, Knock Off Decor, and Green Your Decor
Wall hooks are a great way to get organized. From towels and robes in the bathroom to jackets and bags in your entryway, having somewhere to quickly hang items is a must for keeping your home neat. These hooks are a delightful way to add a little nature to your everyday routine.
From Left: Window Panes Home & Garden, Superior Light Source
A lamp is a simple way to add some stone decor accents into any room. These beautiful creations are unique and truly display the beauty of natures. They are also functional pieces that will add addition light to your room. Use as a reading lamp, desk lamp or on a bedside table.
From Left: Stone Gifts, Ruark du Toit Mosaic Art
A mirror is a great addition to any space. It can make a small space feel larger and reflect light to brighten a room. And let's face it, it's always nice to have a place to check your hair and make-up on your way out of the house. Mirrors can be used in any room of your home. Choose a stone mirror that coordinates with your bathroom tile for a cohesive look. Or place a beautiful stone mirror in your entryway.
Using stone decor in your home is a great option for bringing in a little nature to your home, but be careful not to use too much stone, you don't want your home to feel cold and hard. Be sure to mix softer elements and textures in with your stone.
How do you use stone in your home?


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Diane Kurys
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Diane Kurys
DL | Download Name | Age | Type | Files | Size | SE | LE |
Coup De Foudre AKA Entre Nous (Diane Kurys, 1983) | 12 years | Movie | 3 | 1.26 GB | 3 | 0 | |
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This Product Is No Longer Available
Better Bottle Stainless Steel .75L
Founded in 1989 under the simple premise that athletes perform better when properly hydrated, Camelbak is known worldwide as the leader in hands-free hydration. Based in Petaluma, CA, the company introduced a revolutionary water delivery system that's convenient and affordable.
The Camelbak Hydration pack is worn like a backpack but weighs less than one pound. It's outfitted with a tube that carries up to 70 ounces of water from a refillable reservoir to an easy-access drinking nozzle. The Hydration Pack can sustain even the hardest-working athletes, supplying over two hours of constant hydration.
The first Camelbak products were primarily used by mountain bikers and motocross riders. Hands-free hydration soon caught on, and Camelbak expanded into the cycling, running, hiking, skiing, and snowboarding communities. It's easy to forget about drinking water in cold or wet weather, but Camelbak ensures that, no matter the conditions, ample hydration is only a sip away.
Camelbak offers traditional means of hydration as well. The "Better Bottle" line is a water bottle that is dishwasher safe, BPA-free, and features the spill-proof "Big Bite" valve. Additionally, the stainless steel bottles with groove filtration ensures you're drinking clean, crisp water. Used by athletes, outdoorsmen, and military personnel, Camelback's state-of-the-art products provide hydration that's hands-free, leak-free, and stress-free.


text: Brookside, Delaware, Cosmetic DentistsUnsatisfied with your smile? Cosmetic dentistry has come a long way in recent years. A number of different techniques are now available to help restore weak, loose or broken teeth. Teeth whitening, bridges, crowns, porcelain veneers, and bonding techniques are used cosmetic dentists to produce fabulous results. Your Brookside DE cosmetic dentist can discuss with you advancements in cosmetic dentistry that allow you to achieve your dream smile. Click any of the cosmetic dental practices and offices in Brookside, DE, Delaware, below for additional practice information, including address and map. Brookside cosmetic dentists can add their practice information to this page. Click here for more information. Featured Dentists


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e-mail with wanderlust
(This is part I of entry on the wanderlust e-mail client; part II will appear soon).
Earlier, I have written about how I am using mutt as my e-mailclient. I discussed running mutt inside emacs as well. Of course, mutt is an external program, which puts some limits on its integration with emacs. I did try various emacs-based clients, such as VM (ViewMail) and GNUS, but they always left me a bit unsatisfied.
To start with, it was rather hard to set these programs up – and I am an Emacs-user, I like tweaking things… Still, it was hard to get even simple things working. Maybe I have uncommon wishes, but my desired setup already sent me to the edges of the googleable universe.
But now I have found an emacs-based client that seems to work really well for me. It's called Wanderlust, and it's a fine piece of Japanese engineering. It can be a little bit intimidating to set up at first, even though I found it still much easier than the other emacs-based clients I tried. Anyway, I am sharing a very basic setup here, enough to get you going.
What about my setup? Well: I use maildirs – that is, I download my mail into
a local ~/Maildir
directory-tree, either with e.g. fetchmail
or with
. It's a particulary nice setup for offline-usage: whenever
there's a network connection, I suck up all the mails and have them available
offline. I work like this since the days when there was only expensive dial-up
access to the net, and later I found it very convenient when I was traveling
with a laptop and had only occasional net-access.
So, Maildir
access is pretty important for me, and I'll describe my setup
for using Wanderlust with it here. If you're using IMAP instead of Maildirs,
you might be interested in the Emacs with Wanderlust and GMail-article.
Getting started
So, how to get started with Wanderlust?
In short: install Wanderlust and put some stuff in two files (~/.wl
A little bit longer:
get wanderlist - I am using the
packages from Ubuntu/Debian, which makes this a painless process, but you can also use source packages; -
put your Wanderlust-configuration in a special file:
; - put a list of the mail folders you're interested in, in a file called
. (yes, you can customize all this)
For the rest of the discussion, let's assume we have a Maildir which contains some folders:
for incoming e-mail -
for incoming Mailing List mail -
for drafts -
for sent e-mail -
for junk email
All incoming mail is going to either inbox
or bulk
. I'm not going to
discuss how to get the mails there – I assume you're already have these thing
set up; otherwise, you can take a look at tools like fetchmail
, retchmail
and friends. Note that much of the discussion here applies as well
if you're using Wanderlust with POP or IMAP.
What to put in ~/.wl
So, how to setup Wanderlust to use this? Well, our configuration goes into a
file called ~/.wl
. There's a million more things you can set up here , but
let's stick to the basics here. I'll discuss more tricks and extensions later.
;; mode:-*-emacs-lisp-*- ;; wanderlust (setq elmo-maildir-folder-path "~/Maildir" ;; where i store my mail wl-stay-folder-window t ;; show the folder pane (left) wl-folder-window-width 25 ;; toggle on/off with 'i' wl-smtp-posting-server "localhost" ;; put the smtp server here wl-local-domain "myhost.example.com" ;; put something here... wl-message-id-domain "myhost.example.com" ;; ... wl-from "Me <firstname.lastname@example.com>" ;; my From: ;; note: all below are dirs (Maildirs) under elmo-maildir-folder-path ;; the '.'-prefix is for marking them as maildirs wl-fcc ".sent" ;; sent msgs go to the "sent"-folder wl-fcc-force-as-read t ;; mark sent messages as read wl-default-folder ".inbox" ;; my main inbox wl-draft-folder ".drafts" ;; store drafts in 'postponed' wl-trash-folder ".trash" ;; put trash in 'trash' wl-spam-folder ".trash" ;; ...spam as well wl-queue-folder ".queue" ;; we don't use this ;; check this folder periodically, and update modeline wl-biff-check-folder-list '(".todo") ;; check every 180 seconds ;; (default: wl-biff-check-interval) ;; hide many fields from message buffers wl-message-ignored-field-list '("^.*:") wl-message-visible-field-list '("^\\(To\\|Cc\\):" "^Subject:" "^\\(From\\|Reply-To\\):" "^Organization:" "^Message-Id:" "^\\(Posted\\|Date\\):" ) wl-message-sort-field-list '("^From" "^Organization:" "^X-Attribution:" "^Subject" "^Date" "^To" "^Cc"))
What to put in ~/.folders
So, that was the basic setup. Now we need to tell wanderlust about the folders
we'd like to see in the user-interface: ~/.folders
. Wanderlust does not
automatically use all the folder in your ~/Maildir
. The folder names in
can refer to maildirs, newsgroups, POP-account, IMAP-folders and
a couple of other ones. In particular, you can combine folders to show as
aggregate folders in Wanderlust.
Wanderlust distinguishes the kind of folder something is by looking at a
special prefix character. For maildirs, this is a dot ('.
'), IMAP-folders get
a '+
', newsgroups get a '-' and so on. After the mailbox name, you can have
a 'friendly name' in quotes, which is what will show up in the user-interface.
Something like this:
# WL folders (put the '#' always at the beginning of the line) .inbox "Inbox" .bulk "Mailinglists" .drafts "Drafts" .sent "Sent Mail" .trash "Junk"
Note, the little format has some more tricks; e.g., if you had some folders, you cold have something like:
# WL folders (put the '#' always at the beginning of the line) # 'Lists' will be a tree node with three elements Lists { .mailinglist1 "A mailinglist" .mailinglist2 "Another Mailinglist" .mailinglist3 "Yet one more mailinglist" } # you make virtual folders from combined lists with the '*' AllMyMailingLists *.mailinglist1,.mailinglist2,.mailinglist3
Anyway, there's plenty of room for experimentation here…
Now, we're ready! Start Wanderlust with M-x wl
. You will be greeted, and
things are relatively easy from there on. You might want to use the menu at
first at least, as the default keybindings are somewhat surprising (like a
reply, and w
to compose a new message).
What's next?
As I said, there are 10E6 things to configure and to customize, but this should give you a reasonable setup to start with; you might want to change some details (like the folder names) to match your situation. Good luck!
As a true emacs-mailer, Wanderlust nicely integrates with e.g. BBDB
addressbook) and org-mode
. You can also use GPG (through mailcrypt
spamfiltering, and so on. I will discuss some of those things in the second
part of the discussion of Wanderlust.


text:
australia campervan hire
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add to favourites
Insurance Options
Is insurance included in the daily rate?
Do I have to pay a security bond?
What excess reduction or collision damage waiver (CDW) options are available?
Is insurance different for under 21 year old drivers?
Is there an extra charge for drivers under 25?
What is personal accident insurance?
What is gap cover?
Depot and Pick Up Info
What are the depot hours?
Can I pick up after hours?
What if I return the vehicle early?
What if I return the vehicle late?
Can a friend or relative pick up the vehicle for me?
What's included?
Are unlimited miles/kilometres included?
Is 24-hour assistance included?
Are taxes included?
Do I have to pay for toll roads?
Is insurance included in my rental?
Driver Requirements
Is my driver's license acceptable?
Are there fees for additional drivers?
What are the age restrictions for hiring?
Payment information
How much is the deposit?
How to do I pay for my rental?
Can I prepay the whole hire now?
What is a bond or security deposit?
Do one way hire fees apply?
What extras are available?
Travelling with Children
Can I hire baby equipment?
What are the legal requirements for baby and booster seats in Australia?
What are the legal requirements for baby and booster seats in Australia?
What are the legal requirements for baby and booster seats in New Zealand?
Vehicle specifications
What is average age of vehicles?
Trouble shooting
Having problems booking?
Why can�t I open my booking confirmation?
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Can you send me brochures?
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Welcome to the fast way to find answers to your vehicle rental queries. Please browse the left hand menu which has questions answered by topic, or type in a key word or words (eg. insurance) into the search panel.


text:
Available for:
iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows.
This Bible translation is a contemporary revision of the 1952 Revised Standard Version, which was in turn based on the American Standard Version of 1901. The translators of the New Revised Standard Version, or NRSV, published in 1990, took into account the recent discovery of still older biblical manuscripts that were not available to the translators of the RSV. They also examined linguistic features of the text in more depth and considered changes in English usage. Basing their work on the maxim, "As literal as possible, as free as necessary," the translators' desire was to preserve what is best in previous English translations while producing a new one of high quality and enhanced accuracy.
This version includes the deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament.
Looking for the NRSVue (the updated edition)? Find it here.


text:
Wow! Is it just me or are the holidays gaining on us like a freight train? I am still in denial and keep casually telling myself there must still be weeks and weeks to get ready. I may not have done much holiday shopping yet, but I have gotten some cooking in. Last weekend the kids and I made peppermint bark - an old favorite in our house - and we tried out this new bark recipe that I am in love with.
Keeping life simple and sane around the holiday is a huge goal for me. How can we all have fun and not get stressed? This kind of recipe makes me so happy not only because it tastes delish, but it also takes very little time and the kids love to help. Here's a recipe that once again proves that just a few really good ingredients mixed together can make for damned good eats.
Marcona almonds + Caramel + Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt = Happiness
Don't forget to share....This bark makes an awesome gift.
INGREDIENTS from Bon Appetit December 2011
(printable recipe)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup roasted Marcona almonds (not in oil)
- 1 pound high quality dark chocolate (60-70% cacao), chopped (or chocolate chips will work)
- flaky sea salt, like Maldon
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place sugar and water in a small heavy bottomed sauce-pan. Place pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until sugar crystals have completely dissolved. (You don't want the sugar to burn until all the crystals have broken down.)Then, bring to a boil, continue stirring occasionally, and cook for a few minutes until you get that nice deep amber color. Take the pan off heat and immediately whisk in butter.
Toss Marcona almonds into the caramel and stir to coat. Spread out gooey caramelized almonds onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let cool and then break up/or chop the bigger clusters. Set aside 1/4 of the almonds for garnish.
Slowly melt chocolate in a double boiler. (This can mean simply placing a metal mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water.) When chocolate is completely melted, add 3/4 of the caramelized almonds and stir quickly to coat. Pour the chocolate/almond mixture back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread out the chocolate so that the nuts are only one layer thick. Sprinkle the remaining almonds and flaky sea salt over the top of the chocolate.
Refrigerate for 3 hours. Break apart the hardened bark, and you are ready to go.
Keep chilled.


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Shirley Temple, the dimpled, curly-haired child star who sang, danced, sobbed and grinned her way into the hearts of Depression-era moviegoers, has died. She was 85.
Temple, known in private life as Shirley Temple Black, died Monday night at her home near San Francisco. She was surrounded by family members and caregivers, publicist Cheryl Kagan said. "We salute her for a life of remarkable achievements as an actor, as a diplomat, and most importantly as our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and adored wife for fifty-five years of the late and much missed Charles Alden Black," a family statement said. The family would not disclose Temple's cause of death.
A talented and ultra-adorable entertainer, Shirley Temple was America's top box-office draw from 1935 to 1938, a record no other child star has come near. She beat out such grown-ups as Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Robert Taylor, Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford.
In 1999, the American Film Institute ranking of the top 50 screen legends ranked Temple at No. 18 among the 25 actresses. She appeared in scores of movies and kept children singing "On the Good Ship Lollipop" for generations.
Temple was credited with helping save 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy with films such as "Curly Top" and "The Littlest Rebel." She even had a drink named after her, an appropriately sweet and innocent cocktail of ginger ale and grenadine, topped with a maraschino cherry.
Temple blossomed into a pretty young woman, but audiences lost interest, and she retired from films at 21. She raised a family and later became active in politics and held several diplomatic posts in Republican administrations, including ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the historic collapse of communism in 1989.
"I have one piece of advice for those of you who want to receive the lifetime achievement award. Start early," she quipped in 2006 as she was honored by the Screen Actors Guild. But she also said that evening that her greatest roles were as wife, mother and grandmother. "There's nothing like real love. Nothing." Her husband of more than 50 years, Charles Black, had died just a few months earlier.
They lived for many years in the San Francisco suburb of Woodside. Temple's expert singing and tap dancing in the 1934 feature "Stand Up and Cheer!" first gained her wide notice. The number she performed with future Oscar winner James Dunn, "Baby Take a Bow," became the title of one of her first starring features later that year.
Also in 1934, she starred in "Little Miss Marker," a comedy-drama based on a story by Damon Runyon that showcased her acting talent. In "Bright Eyes," Temple introduced "On the Good Ship Lollipop" and did battle with a charmingly bratty Jane Withers, launching Withers as a major child star, too.
She was "just absolutely marvelous, greatest in the world," director Allan Dwan told filmmaker-author Peter Bogdanovich in his book "Who the Devil Made It: Conversations With Legendary Film Directors." "With Shirley, you'd just tell her once and she'd remember the rest of her life," said Dwan, who directed "Heidi" and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm." "Whatever it was she was supposed to do — she'd do it. … And if one of the actors got stuck, she'd tell him what his line was — she knew it better than he did."
Temple's mother, Gertrude, worked to keep her daughter from being spoiled by fame and was a constant presence during filming. Her daughter said years later that her mother had been furious when a director once sent her off on an errand and then got the child to cry for a scene by frightening her. "She never again left me alone on a set," she said.
Temple became a nationwide sensation. Mothers dressed their little girls like her, and a line of dolls was launched that are now highly sought-after collectables. Her immense popularity prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to say that "as long as our country has Shirley Temple, we will be all right."
"When the spirit of the people is lower than at any other time during this Depression, it is a splendid thing that for just 15 cents, an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles," Roosevelt said.
She followed up in the next few years with a string of hit films, most with sentimental themes and musical subplots. She often played an orphan, as in "Curly Top," where she introduced the hit "Animal Crackers in My Soup," and "Stowaway," in which she was befriended by Robert Young, later of "Father Knows Best" fame.
She teamed with the great black dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in two 1935 films with Civil War themes, "The Little Colonel" and "The Littlest Rebel." Their tap dance up the steps in "The Little Colonel" (at a time when interracial teamings were unheard-of in Hollywood) became a landmark in the history of film dance.
Some of her pictures were remakes of silent films, such as "Captain January," in which she recreated the role originally played by the silent star Baby Peggy Montgomery in 1924. "Poor Little Rich Girl" and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm," done a generation earlier by Mary Pickford, were heavily rewritten for Temple, with show biz added to the plots to give her opportunities to sing.
In its review of "Rebecca," the show business publication Variety complained that a "more fitting title would be 'Rebecca of Radio City.'" She won a special Academy Award in early 1935 for her "outstanding contribution to screen entertainment" in the previous year.
"She is a legacy of a different time in motion pictures. She caught the imagination of the entire country in a way that no one had before," actor Martin Landau said when the two were honored at the Academy Awards in 1998.
Temple's fans agreed. Her fans seemed interested in every last golden curl on her head: It was once guessed that she had more than 50. Her mother was said to have done her hair in pin curls for each movie, with every hairstyle having exactly 56 curls.
On her eighth birthday — she actually was turning 9, but the studio wanted her to be younger — Temple received more than 135,000 presents from around the world, according to "The Films of Shirley Temple," a 1978 book by Robert Windeler. The gifts included a baby kangaroo from Australia and a prize Jersey calf from schoolchildren in Oregon.
"She's indelible in the history of America because she appeared at a time of great social need, and people took her to their hearts," the late Roddy McDowall, a fellow child star and friend, once said.
Although by the early 1960s, she was retired from the entertainment industry, her interest in politics soon brought her back into the spotlight. She made an unsuccessful bid as a Republican candidate for Congress in 1967. After Richard Nixon became president in 1969, he appointed her as a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. In the 1970s, she was U.S. ambassador to Ghana and later U.S. chief of protocol.
She then served as ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the administration of the first President George Bush. A few months after she arrived in Prague in mid-1989, communist rule was overthrown in Czechoslovakia as the Iron Curtain collapsed across Eastern Europe.
"My main job (initially) was human rights, trying to keep people like future President Vaclav Havel out of jail," she said in a 1999 Associated Press interview. Within months, she was accompanying Havel, the former dissident playwright, when he came to Washington as his country's new president.
She considered her background in entertainment an asset to her political career. "Politicians are actors too, don't you think?" she once said. "Usually if you like people and you're outgoing, not a shy little thing, you can do pretty well in politics."
Born in Santa Monica to an accountant and his wife, Temple was little more than 3 years old when she made her film debut in 1932 in the Baby Burlesks, a series of short films in which tiny performers parodied grown-up movies, sometimes with risque results.
Among the shorts were "War Babies," a parody of "What Price Glory," and "Polly Tix in Washington," with Shirley in the title role. Her young life was free of the scandals that plagued so many other child stars — parental feuds, drug and alcohol addiction — but Temple at times hinted at a childhood she may have missed out on.
She stopped believing in Santa Claus at age 6, she once said, when "Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph." After her years at the top, maintaining that level of stardom proved difficult for her and her producers. The proposal to have her play Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" didn't pan out. (20th Century Fox chief Darryl Zanuck refused to lend out his greatest asset.) And "The Little Princess" in 1939 and "The Blue Bird" in 1940 didn't draw big crowds, prompting Fox to let Temple go.
Among her later films were "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer," with Cary Grant, and "That Hagen Girl," with Ronald Reagan. Several, including the wartime drama "Since You Went Away," were produced by David O. Selznick. One, "Fort Apache," was directed by John Ford, who had also directed her "Wee Willie Winkie" years earlier.
Her 1942 film, "Miss Annie Rooney," included her first on-screen kiss, bestowed by another maturing child star, Dickie Moore. After her film career effectively ended, she concentrated on raising her family and turned to television to host and act in 16 specials called "Shirley Temple's Storybook" on ABC. In 1960, she joined NBC and aired "The Shirley Temple Show."
Her 1988 autobiography, "Child Star," became a best-seller. Temple had married Army Air Corps private John Agar, the brother of a classmate at Westlake, her exclusive L.A. girls' school, in 1945. He took up acting and the pair appeared together in two films, "Fort Apache" and "Adventure in Baltimore." She and Agar had a daughter, Susan, in 1948, but she filed for divorce the following year.
She married Black in 1950, and they had two more children, Lori and Charles. That marriage lasted until his death in 2005 at age 86. In 1972, she underwent successful surgery for breast cancer. She issued a statement urging other women to get checked by their doctors and vowed, "I have much more to accomplish before I am through."
During a 1996 interview, she said she loved both politics and show business. "It's certainly two different career tracks," she said, "both completely different but both very rewarding, personally."
Associated Press writer Matt Reed contributed to this report.


text:
© United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Lilo, Jack and Micha Plaschkes
Do You Remember Me?
First Name:Pjotr |
Last Name:Fabiszewski |
This child was one of millions whose lives were disrupted as a result of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution. If you have any information about this person, please click the "I remember this child!" button below and share with us what you know.


text:
Here's my list of favorite games, some require a purchase others require nothing but a good group of people. It's always nice to get recommendations for these kinds of things before investing twenty or thirty (or more) dollars so if I've missed your favorite please let me know because I'm always in the market.
1. Catchphrase. This one's been out for a while but I always enjoy it. You pass the little round gadget around a circle where players for two teams are seated alternately. The timer ticks as each player tries to get the others on his/her team to guess which word the gadget is flashing. Once the timer runs out the game lets out a beeping sound and whichever team is holding is game is penalized--kind of like hot potato. You can set the game to different categories if you wish but I've found that even the kids can play it, though occasionally they'll have to skip an unfamiliar word. We've played it plenty of times at family parties.
2. Prese prese. This game needs no pieces or products, just a group of people sitting in a circle. One person is designated as the president (or "prese" which is pronounced "PREZ-ay," the words are Spanish and they fit better that way), one as the vice president (or vice, pronounced "VEES-ay"), secretary (secre, pronounced "SEC-ray") and the rest of the players are just numbered one, two, three, etc. The players sit in order of rank around the circle, president to lowest number, and it's like concentration, everyone slaps their hands on their laps twice then snaps their fingers twice--all together in the same rhythm.
The president starts out by saying (in time with the rhythm as everyone slaps their laps) "prese, prese" then pauses for two beats as everyone snaps twice, then when everyone slaps their laps a second time the president calls out someone else's name in time with the rhythm. It could be "vice, vice" or "three, three" or whatever, but whoever it is that he/she calls out picks up the game and is in charge of repeating their own title followed by someone else's title. On and on in time with the rhythm until someone messes up by either missing a beat (even a little bit) or by calling out their own name twice accidentally or any number of other goof-ups. If someone messes up the game stops for a minute as he/she goes to the end of the line (or circle I guess) and the bottom of seniority.
Everyone else moves up a spot and in this way everyone tries to work their way up the chain of command by being on-game. It may sound silly but it really is a fun game, and even the teens I know like it.
3. Pinochle. You may remember me mentioning that I didn't know how to play Pinochle but would like to learn? Well some friends read that post and happened to be in the market for a new set of Pinochle partners so we got an invite to learn how to play. We had a fabulous time and I've liked the game ever since. I need to get them over for another game, my skills are getting rusty. Ha! Like they were ever sharp to begin with!
4. Wallyball. If you like racquetball and you like volleyball then wallyball might be the game for you. It's volleyball played in a racquetball court where you can play the ball off of the walls. I did a post about it last winter so for more details I'll direct you there.
5. Scattergories. I love word games and trivia games and particularly like classics like Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary but Scattergories is my favorite, it just never gets old for me.
6. Stare. But this, THIS is a new game for me and I think I might like it just as much as the classics. We played it with friends a month or two ago and had a terrific time. It's pretty simple, you get a card with a picture on it and you're allowed 20 seconds to look at the picture before the other players ask you detailed questions about what you just saw. Strictly a test of memory. Sounds easy, right? Well we got our bottoms whupped and it wasn't pretty but it just goes to show how fun the game is because I still had a good time even though I lost so pitiably. There is a junior edition too.
7. Golf. The card game, not the sport. This is one of our traditional games we play as a family when we're out camping or something like that. It's played with a regular deck of face cards where kings are zero points and aces are one point. All other face cards are 10 points and all cards besides them are their regular point value. The dealer deals out four cards to each player who places them in front of himself either in a line or in a group of four as a rectangle. The player is allowed to look at only two of the cards. ONLY TWO. The player must remember those two cards and the rest of the deck is placed in the middle with the top card turned over as a discard pile.
When it's your turn you can choose to pick a card from the discard pile or from the deck but you must discard one card on every turn. The object is to get as few a points with your four cards as possible--remembering that kings are zero and aces are one--by drawing, swapping cards and discarding to get the fewest points possible. You don't know what two of your cards are so it's always a gamble to replace them with a new card, but when you think you have the fewest points on your turn you "knock" instead of drawing, then everyone else gets one more turn before turning over their cards to see who really did have the fewest points. If you were right and you are the lowest then you don't get any points but if you're wrong and someone beat you then you get triple what's in your hand. Fun fun fun.
8. Scrabble. Oh how I love Scrabble. Traditional, challenging, strategic, thought-provoking, and (sadly) played no more around here. This post explains it pretty thoroughly and someday I'm hoping he'll play with me once again. If I let him win.
9. President and Scum. Another terrific card game that I've played for years and never grown tired of. The kids love it now and we'll play for rounds and rounds. Here is a post from last year that has all the wherefores and how-tos.
10. Mafia. Another party game that is always fun--this one takes a group of about twelve or so though it's flexible. Everyone draws a slip of paper, two of which are marked with "cop" and two of which are marked with "mafia." Whoever draws one of these slips keeps it quiet--it's a secret who got which paper. One person has to play the boss/mediator and will not draw but will help everyone else to navigate the game.
The boss tells everyone to close their eyes, then tells the cops to open their eyes--so they can discover each other. The boss then has the cops close their eyes and has the mafia open theirs--once again for recognition--then close them. Then the game begins. The boss once again has the cops open their eyes and signal who they think is mafia then the boss quietly signals back whether they were right or not. He has them close their eyes again then has the mafia open theirs and pick someone that they want to eliminate (or "kill" if you're feeling violent).
Once the mafia have closed their eyes again the boss announces who is dead and whether or not the cops were able to determine who the mafia were (no names though). Then the game opens up to the rest of the players and they're to decide which person they think is mafia--this is usually done by a simple vote mediated by the boss. When all the players have voted for whoever they think is most likely to be mafia that person is then officially out of the game--eliminated. At that point it's fine for them to say what job, if any, they held. That's one complete round. On and on the game goes, round after round, with mafia killing off person after person, trying to kill off the two cops and the cops trying to figure out who is mafia and then convince the rest of the group to vote the mafia out. It's hard for the cops to convince everyone who is mafia without looking suspicious or attracting the attention of the mafia who want to find out who the cops are so they can kill them. Got it? The game ends when either the two mafia or the two cops are killed off. If the mafia are the only ones left then they win and the group loses, if the cops can get the mafia voted out then they and the rest of the group wins. It's a group-against-mafia thing.
Confusing but really fun--a classic family game around here but I have to say I'm the world's worst mediator/boss because I always forget the steps to each round. Once I forgot who the mafia had killed and when everyone opened their eyes I couldn't remember who was then eliminated. D'uh. But give it a try and see if you're better at it than I am.
11. Settlers of Catan. A terrific German board game where, in true take-over-the-world fashion, you seek to build up your roads, settlements and cities through collecting resources by a roll of the dice. It's not crazy-hard to learn (we play as a family and the kids don't have any trouble keeping up) but there are a lot of small intricacies and you need to pay attention--it can get rather dicey with competition and the game can switch directions on a single round of play, throwing a new player into the lead.
Don't play it with someone who tends toward aggression--it could get ugly--but it's a five-star game for sure. We've been playing it nonstop since Christmas and need to get the expansion edition because our 4-person game can't accommodate the whole family. Everyone wants to play.
12. Apples to Apples. Also an amazingly fun and entertaining party game that we've enjoyed a lot of lately. We've even been able to play with the kids and even Lillian can play with a little help. Everyone holds cards that each have one item on them. It could be anything from Elton John to erasers to Elmer's glue. Players rotate the roll of judge who draws a card from a separate deck that has an adjective on it. It could "zany" or "dirty" or whatever and the rest of the group throws in the card from their hand that they think best typifies the adjective played. Then the judge gets the final say on which card fits best and the player who played it gets to keep the adjective card as a trophy. The player who collects five cards first wins. The kids love it, though they also have a junior edition of this game too.
13. Acquire. Just what it says, the player who collects the most wins--it's the American system at its best! It's kind of like Monopoly, but without the dice and the element of chance. It's kind of like Risk because you're trying to take over the financial world but without the army guys. It's been around since the 1960s but it's a family favorite that my sister and her husband introduced us to years ago. The only problem here is that the original game has been "out of print" for some time and now is only available used through sites like ebay. You'll see other versions of the game, even some with similar covers, but beware because unless you've paid over $100 for your version or inherited it, it's probably not the real thing.
That's 13 and I'll stop there but here are five more games that have come highly recommended that are sitting, waiting for me in my Amazon shopping cart for our next game purchase:
Munchkin--A card game that's a spoof on Dungeons and Dragons where you battle such enemies as the Potted Plant, the Drooling Slime, the Plutonium Dragon, the stoned Ogre, Don the Horny Helmet and Boots of Butt-Kicking. Very popular with the teens.
Ticket to Ride--A board game representing a coast-to-coast railway journey where you compete to complete your track. There are various versions of the game that set it in different locales but you get the idea. I've heard it's also fun.
Aggravation--This is one I loved as a kid that kind of reminds me of Chinese Checkers. Very fun and easy for young children. I'll probably put it on Santa's list for the coming year.
Puerto Rico--Another German strategy game (what is it with those Germans??) where players play different roles (plantation owner, builder, trader, etc.) in colonial Puerto Rico. It has the advantage of a historical twist but it's supposedly great fun to play.
Tikal--This game got such amazing reviews that it immediately piqued my interest. I don't know much more than what it describes on the product page but I've decided it will be our next game purchase.
If you're up for a double dose Scribbit, I'm posting this week over at Design Mom--see you there!
Technorati tags: Thursday Thirteen, games, board games


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Here at NPR, we've heard about some wacky food scandals. There have been gingerbread houses harboring bad bacteria, turkeys trotting around with arsenic in their guts and a prison hooch that brewed up botulism.
But a recent report from China may take the cake –- or should we say, the eggplant.
Two people in a Beijing restaurant intentionally laced the eggplant dishes with enough of a blood pressure drug to send 80 diners to the hospital. Everyone recovered, but 34 of them had to have their blood pumped to remove the drug.
Over the past few years, China has experienced a string of food safety scandals. Steroid-boosted pork and antifreeze-tainted vinegar sickened hundreds last year. And, back 2008, melamine-spiked baby formula sent shock waves through the country.
But why the heck would a restaurant want to harm its customers?
According to a recent report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the two perpetrators were in cahoots with the restaurant down the street, and they wanted to give it a "competitive advantage" by sickening their rivals' diners.
Such competitive poisoning is not unheard of in China. Just last year, The AP reported on a local dairy farmer who intentionally tainted his competitor's milk supply with nitrite.
In the eggplant incident, the miscreants hid the drug clonidine – a white, odorless powder – in the restaurant's starch. When the chefs thickened up the braised eggplant with the starch, they inadvertently served up a few nearly toxic stir-fries.
All diners that ate eggplant for lunch on April 23, 2010, fell sick almost immediately, the report says. They got dizzy and tired, suffered from nausea and blurred vision, and even started vomiting.
At a local hospital, doctors discovered potentially toxic levels of clonidine in their blood. They treated the patients for low blood pressure and within 48 hours, all their symptoms resolved.
Police eventually discovered the drug in the restaurant's starch and traced it to the neighboring restaurant. The two perpetrators were convicted and sentenced to one year in prison, the report says.
Efforts to reach Chinese officials who wrote the report were unsuccessful, so we turned to a a domestic poison expert for insights.
Toxicologist Wendy Klein-Schwartz says the criminals probably chose clonidine because it's a potent drug that takes only a tiny amount to cause serious symptoms. "They wouldn't need to put a lot [of the drug] into the eggplant so people probably wouldn't notice it. It wouldn't change the taste," she says. "That's just my guess."
Klein-Schwartz helps run the Maryland Poison Center. She says clonidine is especially dangerous for kids. It's on the "one pill can kill list" for children under 6, and each year, about 1,500 young children in the U.S. go to the emergency room after accidentally taking the drug.
"Even when a kid's taken just one tablet, we're very worried about this," she says.
Usually this occurs when a toddler grabs his grandma's blood pressure drug from a table, she says, not from Chinese takeout.
Nonetheless, the Annals report cautions that doctors treating what appears to be a foodborne illness should also consider drug spiking as a potential cause.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Plenty of so-called conventional wisdom isn't really wisdom, especially when it comes to travel spending.
The myth: Book your plane ticket as far ahead as possible.
The reality: The conventional wisdom that the early bird gets the worm was debunked last year when Airlines Reporting Corp. studied $82 billion worth of bookings and found that the sweet spot for prices is six weeks before the flight, when airlines start dangling deals to fill empty seats. In 2011, the study found that tickets were about 6% cheaper during this time frame, and the discount has been even higher in previous years. A more recent study published last week by CheapAir.com turned up similar results; it found that booking seven weeks out will let you score the best deals on airfare.
This holds true if you're booking an awards ticket, says Gary Leff, who blogs at "View From the Wing." Airlines don't open award seats at the same time… This varies not just by airline but also by route and even day of week," he points out. If you want to cash in those miles, shoot for six to nine months out, and run some test searches a few weeks beforehand, he suggests. "Often times the patterns remain the same because far in advance airlines are usually working off a fairly generic playbook based on historical data." That's pretty good advice for people booking non-award tickets, too. Pricing out a few mock itineraries with similar specifications will give you a ballpark idea of the airline's price ranges for that route.
(MORE: Study: The Best Time to Buy Cheap Airline Tickets is 6 Weeks Before a Flight)
The myth: You need the extra insurance on your car rental.
The reality: The associate at the rental-car counter will probably recommend — if not outright push you to get — the supplementary insurance for damage, theft or liability in the case of an accident. Don't let the hard sell fool you, because there's a good chance you already have this coverage. Many car insurance policies cover rentals, but the details vary, so it is a good idea to contact your insurance company before your trip just to be sure. Even if you're not covered by your auto policy (or you don't have a car), a wide variety of credit cards, particularly those in the "concierge service" premium category, also extend coverage for car rentals. You generally have to pay for the rental with that card and be listed as the primary driver on the rental agreement. In most cases, the credit card coverage is secondary insurance, which means you'll still need to file a claim with your auto insurance company. And you'll want to check if either your card or your policy will cover the "loss of use" fees many rental companies now charge. CreditCards.com has a chart that covers many of these details here.
The myth: You'll get a better exchange rate overseas by paying in dollars.
The reality: Having a merchant in another country convert your purchase price from local currency into dollars won't let you avoid a foreign transaction fee. On top of that, you'll probably lose money on the exchange thanks to a practice called dynamic currency conversion. In general, the rule of thumb is that it's smartest to use credit cards when traveling overseas. Some cards offer purchase protection if an item breaks or isn't delivered as promised and all of them let you dispute a transaction. According to research conducted by CardHub.com, credit cards offer an exchange rate that's about 8% better than what you'd get at a big American bank, and about 16% better than changing currency at the airport. The big "but" here is to make sure you're using a card that doesn't slap on a foreign transaction fee of around 3%; this will cancel out a favorable exchange rate.
(MORE: PBR Owner Making a Bid for Twinkies)
Beyond the foreign transaction fee trap, dynamic currency conversion can trip up even seasoned travelers, says Odysseas Papadimitriou, CEO of CardHub.com. It might make sense to assume that paying for something in dollars will get you the best deal, but the exchange rate the merchant uses is totally at their discretion, and Papadimitriou says many will take advantage of the opportunity to pad their bottom line. "You're not getting the Visa or MasterCard rate. You're getting an inflated exchange rate the merchant gives you," he says. "It defeats the purpose of using your credit card." Make sure your receipt is in the local currency, and don't sign it if it isn't, he advises.
The myth: Airfare prices are lowest late Tuesday night.
The reality: Christopher Elliott, a consumer advocate who focuses primarily on travel, calls it a "persistent myth" that the best airfares can be found after midnight on Tuesday. Sorry, night owls: Two new studies found that you're not scoring a great deal just because you stayed up late. Researchers at Texas A&M University studied tickets for the same flights bought on different days of the week and found that those bought on the weekend were about 5% less. The study's authors speculate that the predominance of leisure travel that takes place over the weekends drives this difference. "This conjecture is supported by the finding that the weekend purchase effect is distinctly larger on routes with a mixture of both business and leisure customers than on routes that disproportionately serve leisure customers," they write.
However, the jury's still out on weekend purchases. CheapAir.com also looked at this question in its study and came to a different conclusion: That there's really no day of the week when prices are significantly lower. Relying on the notion of a magic sale window doesn't substitute for doing your homework and comparison-shopping to get the cheapest prices.
(MORE: Is the Dreamliner Becoming a Financial Nightmare for Boeing?)
The myth: The best hotel deals come from third-party sites.
The reality: A room rate on a third-party booking site might look like a steal, but don't assume that it is. Call the hotel directly if you find a deal on another site, since a growing number have rate guarantees. According to the New York Times, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Wyndham Hotel Group all now offer guarantees that you'll get the best rate booking through them. Going to the hotel's site might also turn up packages including other perks, like free parking or a complimentary drink in the lounge, that the third-party booking sites don't have.
Then there's the personal touch when it comes to customer service. "Executives at hotels and airlines said they can deliver a more personalized experience when travelers book directly. That means guests may have a better chance of getting the bed or room type they want," the Times points out. No, this doesn't save you money, but after a long drive or flight, saving yourself the annoyance could be priceless. Also, keep in mind that if you're a member of a hotel loyalty program, you might not be able to accrue points for a stay booked through a third-party site.
The myth: Duty-free is a place to score deals.
The reality: Perfume, sunglasses, gourmet chocolate — all at rock-bottom prices you can't get unless you're killing time in an airport terminal somewhere. That's the implicit promise of duty-free stores, anyhow — but many offerings aren't really all that special in terms of the savings. No, you're not paying the tax you'd pay at a regular store, but duty-free goods sometimes can be priced higher than what you'd pay in a regular store. Esquire magazine did a side-by-side comparison of duty-free prices and found that it's a mixed bag; there were decent deals on booze and cigarettes. But if you're not into those vices, you might strike out: cologne and jewelry were cheaper at regular retailers. "The big fragrance and cosmetics houses make more from duty free and travel retail than from many domestic markets," research company Generation Research told Budget Travel.


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There was a fine drizzle of rain as we walked down the dirt road that runs in front of our house, looking for the muscadines that grow wild this time of year.
The vines were tangled high in the evergreen trees, we stood up on our tiptoes to grab handfuls, tumbling them into our basket. Their colors vary from nearly black to the prettiest shade of purple I've ever seen.
Muscadines are so fragrant, deep and rich, vaguely winey. I brought them inside, cut them open, and set them to simmer down into a syrup, the scent filling the house, lingering in every corner.
My mom has been telling me about her grandmothers muscadine jelly since I was a little girl. She waxes poetic about the sweet stuff, but I never had the chance to meet my great-grandmother, or taste her jelly. As I was standing over the bubbling pot, I felt connected to this woman I never met. It's funny (and wonderful) how food can do that.
I didn't have quite enough juice to make jelly, so I decided on a syrup, ruby red & sweet. It'd be great over biscuits or pancakes, even ice cream. I stirred a spoonful into a cup of hot black tea. Next time I'm going to turn it into muscadine sorbet.
Muscadine Syrup
1 cup muscadine juice*
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
To release the juice, cut open your muscadines and place in a stock pot. Fill pot with water, just covering the muscadines. Simmer for 15 minutes, mashing occasionally with a potato masher. Pour fruit through a mesh strainer, pressing hard on the solids, (I then placed the skins in a lemon juicer, to extract as much juice as possible), into another stock pot. Add sugar and lemon juice, and bring the juice to a boil, then allow to simmer. Cook until it coats the back of a spoon. Pour into clean jar. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
*You want equal parts juice & sugar. If you have more/less juice, just add the same amount of sugar. I started with about 4 cups of muscadines and got 1 cup of juice.


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So what is Fundamental?
A theory is fundamental if it cannot be derived from another, more complete, theory. More complete means the theory is applicable to a larger range. Note that a fundamental theory can be derivable from another theory if both are equivalent to each other (though one could plausibly argue then one should consider both the same theory).
Throughout history, the search and discovery of more fundamental theories in the natural sciences has lead to a tremendous amount of progress. That however is not a guarantee it will continue to be the path to progress. The issue is in the expression "cannot be derived" which could mean three different things:
Cannot be derived, version I: not possible in principle.
In the previous post on Emergence and Reductionism, I explained this is known as "strong emergence:" Emergent features on a higher level require a theory that cannot be derived from the underlying one. We previously discussed the paper "More really is different," in which Gu et al offer an example for a system that does have emergent features, but it can be proved these are not derivable from the underlying theory. Granted, the system they consider isn't particularly natural (see discussion on earlier post), but it gives you an impression of what this case means.
Cannot be derived, version II: not possible in practice
It might not be possible to derive emergent features from a more fundamental theory because of practical constraints. For example, it might take more computing power than we will ever have available, or more time than the lifetime of the universe to do it. It might take infinitely precise knowledge of initial conditions; it would make it necessary to measure parameters more precisely than we can plausibly expect ever; it would take a detector the size of the galaxy; etc etc.
Cannot be derived, version III: not yet possible
We might simply not have a derivation because
Okay, now what is fundamental?
The problem is that at any one time we might not know which of these 3 cases we are dealing with. The exception is if we had an actual proof for the impossibility of a derivation. (But then a proof is only as good as its assumption.) We are thus left with our assessment of the situation, which might change with better understanding of the theories we have. In some cases there is a pretty clear consensus on whether a law is fundamental, in other cases it might not be so clear.
- Take for example the Tully-Fisher relation. It relates the luminosity of a spiral galaxy with the 4th power of its rotational velocity. It is a useful heuristic relation, extracted from data, and has predictive power. There is no derivation of that relation; yet I doubt any physicist would argue it is a fundamental law. Instead, with increasing understanding of astrophysical processes, we will finally be able to derive it.
- Stefan came up with an interesting historical example, the Titius-Bode law according to which the distance of planets to the sun grows exponentially with their order in the sequence. The law works pretty well up to Uranus and fails with Neptune, but the far out planets were not known when the law was suggested. People once thought the planets' orbits are fixed by fundamental principles, but with better understanding about the gravitational interaction, the "law" was downgraded to a "rule," or possibly just a coincidence. Though with further knowledge about the dynamics relevant for the formation of solar systems the approximate validity of the relation might be an "emergent" feature one can expect to approximately be valid.
- Then there is of course the often discussed question whether it is in principle possible to derive all of biology, psychology, sociology and economics from physics and thus physics is the most fundamental of all sciences. Many physicists believe this to be the case. For that reason, one of my profs used to refer to physics as "the queen of sciences" (physics is a female noun in German). But we are far away from practically achieving such a derivation, and we thus do not actually know which of the three cases of "cannot be derived" we are dealing with. Already at the level of proteins things get murky, and we should be considering the option that indeed biology might be as fundamental as physics in the sense that it cannot be derived - cannot be derived in principle, not ever.
One of the reasons why the first case might apply even though reductionism has worked so well over a large range of scales is that in some areas of science the separation of scales might no longer work, and/or there might be no scale that can be used for separation. In physics typically the scale is energy, and we are used to neglect things that happen at energies much higher (wavelengths much smaller) than what we are probing. We know this is a safe procedure backed up by the framework of effective field theories. In contrast, a system like our societies does not simply have higher level organizations constituted out of smaller elements, such that these smaller elements define the "emergent" properties. Instead, these organizations also act back on the elements that they are built of and change their behaviour.
Coming back to physics, there are of course the questions that are hotly discussed at the front of research today, those asking what is fundamental in our present theories. Can the masses of particles in the Standard Model be derived from a more fundamental theory? Are space and time themselves emergent from an underlying theory (generally expected to marry quantum mechanics with general relativity). Is quantum mechanics fundamental, or can the quantization procedure and the measurement prescription be derived from a more complete theory?
I don't know. But I really, really want to know.
Aside: Some weeks ago Clifford also wrote about the question what is fundamental, anyway? Since he sent me the link to make sure I don't miss it, I can't get away without mentioning it. Clifford is mostly concerned with people who use the label "more fundamental" to mean their work is more relevant. While that might happen, people using superlatives to claim their own work (life, opinion) is "more this" or "more that" than others' is hardly remarkable, and certainly not specific to theoretical physics. The other point Clifford makes is that "Nature recycles good ideas," meaning that the framework of fundamental theories can often also be found to be useful in non-fundamental areas - and the other way 'round. It is an interesting point, but it addresses more the question where one can find inspiration, not what is actually fundamental.
A theory is fundamental if it cannot be derived from a more complete theory, yet there are different reasons for why we may not be able to derive it: It might not be possible in principle, it might not be possible in practice, or we might not yet have the sufficient knowledge to do it. In general, we do not know which case we are dealing with. Misjudgement of the situation can waste a lot of time and hinder progress. If we wrongly believe a property is not fundamental, we risk searching forever for a more fundamental explanation that doesn't exist. On the other hand, if we believe something is fundamental even though it isn't, our understanding of Nature will remain limited. What is sure though is that understanding always starts with a question.


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No. You are not pretty my dear, not even in that red dress. Before baking you, I asked "frog, will you please turn out into a princess?".
I know frogs are supposed to turn out into a prince, but this one wasn't promising. Besides, in the fairy tales princes tend to be clad in white. So you stayed frog, thank you very much.
You're flavorful though, and full of fruity goodness, spices and texture. Slightly crunchy outside with a soft, squishy heart. You are Christmassy as well as Umbrian in your own peasant, medieval, rustic way.
You are not even made with butter, how healthy it's that at this time of the year?
- 300 gr (2 and 1/2 cup) Italian 00 flour
- grated rind of 1/2 lemon
- 5 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil + extra for oiling the pastry
- 1 tablespoon sugar + extra for sprinkling
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 4 large apples, diced small
- 12o gr (1/2 cup) sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon anise seeds
- 150 gr (5 oz ) chopped nuts of your choice
- 150 gr ( 5 oz) rasins or sultanas
- juice and rind of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoon alchermens liqueur.
Alchermens is an Italian speciality which contributes a floral scent and the bright red color to the pastry. Read here to learn how to substitute and here about it's tradition.
Make the pastry by mixing all ingredients to obtain a firm dough. Cover and let it rest at least 30 min so it will be easier to roll.
Peel and dice apples, transfer into a bowl and add all other ingredients. In contrast with the dough, make the filling just before you need it to avoid release of juices wich will break the pastry while baking.
Now roll the dough into a long rectangular shape wich must be about 25 cm (10 inch) wide. The pastry must be as thin as possible but it should not break otherwise the filling will pour off the gaps. Brush the pastry sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle lightly with 1 additional tablespoon sugar.
Spread the fruit down the length of the pastry to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll up from a long edge. Brush lightly with olive oil. Shape the roll into a coil and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoon extra Alchermens for decoration.
Bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for 45 min or until slightly golden. Brush with 1 tablespoon sugar mixed with a little water to make a soft paste and cook another 5 min.
Serve at room temperature.
PS. Sometime I cut the dough in 4 pieces and make 4 smaller strudels rather than a large one. They are easier to serve as a dessert for a large party. This way it makes 14-16 portions.


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Peering At The Backside Of The Moon
I kept my mouth shut for a reason. I figured, if I never, ever discuss that fact that WonderBaby is both sleeping through the night and napping every afternoon, in her crib, I will never have to answer to the gods for impertinence. I figured, if I never speak of it, I will never tempt them to relieve me of this great gift.
So I never spoke of it. After months and months and months of kvetching about WonderBaby's wakefulness, I simply went silent. On the day that she finally started napping - April 2, 2007 - after a seven-month nap strike, I went silent. I swore that I would not speak, nor write, about her sleep. The gods are impetuous, and fickle, and they would, I knew, take me from the gift of sleep as quickly as they had given it.
But the temptation became too strong. My secret was too sweet - she sleeps. She sleeps! I began to whisper it: she sleeps. Hand cupped to mouth, eyes raised heavenward, hoping that the gods be distracted by demi-gods taking their women or mortals stealing fire: she sleeps.
And then I began to gain confidence. Surely it was I who had brought about the sleep; surely it was my commitment to schedules and rituals and my persistence in trying, always trying, to bring about the precious sleep that had won me this victory. Surely this was my accomplishment, mine alone. Surely I could sing my own praises. Surely I could say it out loud: I have won her sleep!
I forgot the gods. I sang openly of my accomplishment. I waxed philosophic and pragmatic and prudential. I speculated upon technique. I regarded the nap and the easy bedtime as works of art, crafted by my own will. I displayed them proudly, and announced them to anyone who drew near. These were mine, I said. I made these.
I was prideful, hubristic. You know, then, how this story ends.
Sleep has flown, been snatched away, is gone. The naps are sporadic, bedtime is a battle, our nights and days have become long, too long, far too long to bear. The wax that has held the harmony of my days has melted, and I am falling, have fallen, into the sea. Is this the gods' vengeance, or did I simply reach too high, too far, too soon?
If only it were always this easy. If only.
I am peering at the backside of the moon.* It is dark, and it is pockmarked, and I would give anything to feel the sun again.
(*Undying respect and big geek high-five to whomever can tell me the source of this line.)
I lifted my skirt and... what? Whaddya think? Check it out, and tell me that you love it over here.


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Chinese New Year is coming soon and I thought of hosting my blog first ever event - Chinese New Year Delights 2013. Please come and join this event !!
How to join :
Who can join? Anyone can join.
Language? English, Mandarin or Malay is accepted.
Prepare a dish (sweet or savoury) or cookies or any traditional dishes that related to Chinese New Year. Then take a picture of the food you have cooked.
Provide a recipe that is credited (from books,internet,friends,family or maybe by your own, be specific).
Submit your entry latest by 28th February 2013.
To submit :
For Blogger
Blog about it from 8th January 2013 till 28th February 2013
Include this caption below your blogpost :-
* I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover (link back to this post)*
Sending the following information to this email address (firstname.lastname@example.com) with email subject as 'Chinese New Year Delights 2013'
Blog name:
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Ang Pao giveaway
To Thank you for your participation, I will be given away two Ang Pao ( of course no Cash, but some speical baking related items ^_^. I will show you the gifts in the round up post because i still ordering the items) . This is applicable only to those who participate in this event, and it is applicable to Worldwide. More submission stand better chance to win the Ang Pao. Closing date is 28th Feb 2013.
Good Luck to you !!
A round up will be done on 1st week of March 2013.


text: Below is a concise listing of the weapons and accessories that were included in the Power of the Force 2 line. The links on the right side are the toys that these accessories were packed with. Even though there have been documented errors where the wrong weapon was packaged with a figure, this is based on what the toy was intended to come with. In the case where there is more than one accessory in an image, it is to represent the variant colors certain accessories were produced in.


text:
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Little Empress Is Wearing Pink - It must Be Saturday! Time for Pink Lemonade
Isn't she a doll? What you can't see is, that while she's held by her mother, both sets of grandparent's are hovering around her brand new English pram. Under China's one child policy she'll probably be very spoiled - a little empress. I hope she brings a smile to your faces. She does to mine. Have a wonderful weekend.
Pink Lemonade...recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart
1 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 cups fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemons, thinly sliced crosswise, for garnish
1-1/2 cups superfine sugar
2 cups cranberry juice
1) Bring granulated sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium pan over high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
2) Add lemon juice, superfine sugar, cranberry juice, and 1-1/2 quarts water to a serving container. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day.
3) To serve, add ice cubes to fill and garnish with lemon slices. Yield: 3 quarts.
I'm linking this to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for her Pink Saturday Event.
49 comments :
- a quiet life said...
cute cute cute!
- July 17, 2009 at 7:54 PM
- The Blonde Duck said...
How cute!
- July 17, 2009 at 8:07 PM
- Katy ~ said...
She absolutely brings a smile to my crabby old face!
- July 17, 2009 at 8:10 PM
- Sandra said...
Aw, what a precious baby!! She certainly brought a smile to my face! :)
Sandra - July 17, 2009 at 9:07 PM
- Heather S-G said...
aw, she's so pretty :D
- July 17, 2009 at 9:21 PM
- oneordinaryday said...
Oh, those cheeks! : )
- July 17, 2009 at 9:26 PM
- chow and chatter said...
very cute babies are such a treasure
- July 17, 2009 at 9:48 PM
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so so cute little baby. Look at her eyes, it's already small and now that she's smiling - you can't see it anymore :-)I'd like to pinch those chubby cheeks! :-)
- July 17, 2009 at 10:06 PM
- From the Old InkWell said...
OH MY! What a cutie!!! She is precious!
- July 17, 2009 at 10:09 PM
- Femin Susan said...
Very cut. Thanks for sharing.....
- July 17, 2009 at 10:29 PM
- Kat said...
So incredibly cute! I hope that little baby girl doesn't end up with bruised cheeks from everyone pinching them! She is a little doll. Thanks for the smile. Kathy
- July 17, 2009 at 10:44 PM
- Unknown said...
Very PINK delicious!
- July 17, 2009 at 11:06 PM
- Lakeshore Cottage Living said...
She is a doll!
- July 17, 2009 at 11:16 PM
- NKP said...
What a cutie!
- July 17, 2009 at 11:34 PM
- Mary | Deep South Dish said...
Awwwwww and she looks very happy.
- July 17, 2009 at 11:55 PM
- Karen said...
What a cutie she is! Happy Pink Saturday. Hope you have a terrific weekend,
Karen - July 18, 2009 at 12:18 AM
- caren said...
So darling! Just want to give her a big hug! Happy PS!
- July 18, 2009 at 12:32 AM
- Jackie said...
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love having new visitors! The little empress is darling!
- July 18, 2009 at 1:31 AM
- theUngourmet said...
What a sweet face! Happy Saturday!
- July 18, 2009 at 1:52 AM
- Regina said...
Like a doll. Pretty post.
Happy PS and
a nice week ahead Mary.
Regina - July 18, 2009 at 2:37 AM
- Country Wings in Phoenix said...
Happy Pink Saturday My Friend! This is just so precious. Look at her little smile and chubby cheeks. She is exquisite. Love the pink post. Please stop by and say hi. I love to have you visit. Country Hugs, Sherry
- July 18, 2009 at 2:53 AM
- My Little Space said...
Very sweet! She absolutely brings joy to her family.
- July 18, 2009 at 5:34 AM
- Martha said...
Such a cute baby -- a great Pink Saturday post!
- July 18, 2009 at 6:51 AM
- Susan said...
- July 18, 2009 at 8:25 AM
- Soma said...
A doll indeed. Wish i could plant a few kisses on those so tempting cheeks:-)
- July 18, 2009 at 8:42 AM
- Amy said...
She's a cutie for sure! Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend. Amy
- July 18, 2009 at 9:12 AM
- Claudia said...
What an absolute sweetie! Can't stop smiling when I see her plump cheeks! Happy Pink Saturday!
- July 18, 2009 at 9:14 AM
- Selba said...
Looks so cute :)
- July 18, 2009 at 9:21 AM
- ♥Mimi♥ said...
♥Happy Pink Satuday♥
Really cold (50s) in upper Michigan today with a dark sky. I need all the pink I can get this morning. Thanks so much for helping lift my spirits!
Wishing you a weekend filled with sunshine and happiness. - July 18, 2009 at 10:03 AM
- frugal southern mom said...
She is so cute! Who could'nt spoil her!I would just want to hold her all day she is so cute!
- July 18, 2009 at 11:13 AM
- The Old Parsonage said...
Empress, princess, what ever you want to call her, she's a cutie pie!
Please stop by The Old Parsonage anytime, I love company!
Enjoy your Day!
Leann - July 18, 2009 at 12:12 PM
- Ann said...
so precious Picture! how radiating her face is. Lovely, chubby and totally CUTE!.
- July 18, 2009 at 1:46 PM
- The Quintessential Magpie said...
Oh, Mary, she is absolutely adorable! You just want to kiss her little fat cheek and sit there and watch her laugh! What a great pink post.
Happy Pink Saturday to you, dear Mary, and here's hoping you're in the pink!
Sheila :-) - July 18, 2009 at 2:02 PM
- Marta said...
How could you not smile at the sight of such gorgeous child! She looks regal already :)
- July 18, 2009 at 3:07 PM
- Katie said...
Oh don't you just want to kiss that cute nose? What a living doll! Happiest of Pink Saturdays to you!
- July 18, 2009 at 3:33 PM
- Jersey Girl Cooks said...
Beautiful baby! And I just want to pinch those precious cheeks.
- July 18, 2009 at 4:20 PM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
Such a cutie! ;-)
- July 18, 2009 at 6:58 PM
- noble pig said...
Oh my word I want to pinch those sweet cheeks.
- July 18, 2009 at 10:00 PM
- La Cuisine d'Helene said...
So cute!
- July 18, 2009 at 10:03 PM
- Mary said...
What a precios, sweet baby!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Mary:) - July 18, 2009 at 11:00 PM
- Hootin Anni said...
....and she's a doll!!!!
- July 19, 2009 at 8:26 AM
- Mary said...
I will definitely curtsy to this beautiful 'empress' if I'm lucky enough to meet her! Beautiful girlie.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a kind comment.
Umm, love cauiflower, must look for these in my area (N. Carolina). Can see you have some yummy food things going on so I'll be back! - July 19, 2009 at 2:09 PM
- Maria Berg said...
he is wearing pink and you have showed me yellow so with that drink in my stomach I am of to do my yellow post,
MB - July 19, 2009 at 4:44 PM
- Lori said...
This is a girly lemonade. My girls love anything pink. Good idea.
- July 19, 2009 at 10:04 PM
- fitty's pinky rose cottage said...
cute baby.. and slurrrp lemonade! perfect!
- July 20, 2009 at 10:49 AM
- Unknown said...
Happy Pink Saturday, Mary! The little Empress is absolutely darling! She makes my heart smile!
The lemonaide recipe sounds delicious and I'm definitely going to try it!
Have a lovely pink weekend!
Tina - July 25, 2009 at 3:14 PM
- ItaJeff said...
She's so cute! I love her smile..
Happy PS and enjoy your weekend
♥Ita - August 15, 2009 at 1:38 AM
- Regina said...
Another lovely post.
Happy weekend. - August 15, 2009 at 1:39 AM
- fitty's pinky rose cottage said...
so adorable in pink and her smile, how cute!
- August 17, 2009 at 6:29 AM


text:
This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, I'm Ira Flatow. This week, scientists at the Oregon Health and Science University, OHSU, announced a breakthrough in cloning of a human embryo. They took adult cells, put the cells into specially prepared human eggs and created genetically identical embryos. It's something lots of stem cell researchers have been trying to do for years without success.
How did they get it to work, and what happens next? Will the technique be used to treat disease? We have other ways of creating stem cells, ways that don't involve creating embryos. What makes this different, and what are the ethical questions we need to consider? That's what we'll be talking about, our number 1-800-989-8255. Let me introduce my guests.
George Daley is a professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Children's Hospital. Josephine Johnston is a research scholar at the Hastings Center, that's a bioethics think tank based in Garrison, New York. Welcome to the program Dr. Johnston, Dr. Daley.
GEORGE Q. DALEY: Good to be here.
Thank you very much.
FLATOW: Dr. Daley, let me ask you: Is this a real breakthrough in the true sense?
DALEY: Oh, it definitely is. I mean, technically this has been a challenge that dozens of labs have really been working hard at across the world for, say, 10 or 15 years, and this is really the first time that it's worked in humans.
FLATOW: Give us a little bit of an inside baseball, a few details of what they did.
DALEY: They fundamentally used the same technique that was used by Campbell and Wilmette to make Dolly the Sheep in 1997. But instead of going all the way to making a baby, which is not anything anyone wants to propose, they copied cells. What that really involved was taking an egg from a woman who was paid to donate that egg, removing the DNA from the egg and replacing it with the DNA from a donor cell.
They did it both from a kind of generic fibroblast but also from the donor cells of a patient with a particular disease. What that does then is it actually starts the process of early human development, there's a small embryo created from which one can harvest stem cells. So they made patient-derived stem cells that would have been identical to that individual with the disease.
FLATOW: Did it go as far as the cell to actually develop stem cells in it?
DALEY: Yes, so they - their breakthrough was being able to reproduce the sort of early stage blastocyst, you know, this earliest stage of human development, when we're really a small cluster of cells, a couple hundred cells at most, but those are the substrates for deriving these master cells, these embryonic stem cells that can be any tissue in the human body.
FLATOW: And theoretically, then, there was no father to this embryo, it was just a mother's egg?
DALEY: Well yes, I mean, the mother's egg is involved, but fundamentally we're talking about the DNA, in the case of the patient, the DNA is a combination of that patient's mother and father. I mean, it's the identical nucleus and DNA from the patient.
FLATOW: Now I heard in the technique there was involved using caffeine. What was that about?
DALEY: Yeah, the Starbucks experiment, in a sense. Well, one of the challenges that many groups have faced, than when you manipulate the egg, when you stick an eye needle into it to pull out its chromosomes, that tends to shock the egg and activate it, and it tends to start to develop. Caffeine, we know, actually inhibits some of the enzymes that are involved in activating the egg.
And so by adding caffeine to the culture, the mix, the sort of broth in which these cells are grown, they could stick the needle in without starting this process. So it was an important contribution to getting this all to work.
FLATOW: Dr. Johnston, as a bioethicist, what are some of the possible landmines here?
JOSEPHINE JOHNSTON: Well, we're back to a situation where we're talking about the creation of an embryo, which will then be destroyed for research purposes, which of course is still controversial in the United States and in other countries. And because of the nature of this particular experiment, it reopens the debate about reproductive cloning and whether this technology takes us a step further towards, or closer towards being able to do reproductive cloning.
One of the other issues that is, you know, still debated to some extent is the involvement of egg donors in research and the compensation that is provided to them. So there are at least - those are at least a few of the unresolved debates that this particular study sort of reignites.
FLATOW: Does it matter that these are not fertilized eggs?
JOHNSTON: So, does it matter for...
FLATOW: People who are concerned about...
JOHNSTON: So I think this question of whether or not this kind of embryo is - morally has the same status as an embryo that was created by fertilization is an unresolved question. A lot of people are opposed to the destruction of embryos created by fertilization, and now we have one created by cloning, and the question is is it the same kind of thing in terms of its status?
And that's not a question I can answer for - it's a very contentious, about which a lot of people have different feelings about what is a human embryo and what is its moral status, and what can we do with it.
FLATOW: George Daley, we have another type of technology to get these types of cells, don't we, without creating embryos?
DALEY: Yes, in fact it was the subject of this past year's Nobel Prize. Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese scientist, taught us that if you take just a couple of genes that are normally expressed in embryo-derived stem cells and transfer those genes into let's say a skin cell from a particular patient, you can reset the skin cell back to its embryonic state. These are called induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPS cells.
And IPS cells look to all of us to be virtually identical to embryo-derived stem cells. They have, you know, tremendous potential for teaching us about disease and maybe one day for actually treating disease. Now in reality, though, when we look very carefully at the molecular details of the IPS cells, there are still some lingering questions as to whether they are identical to the embryo-derived cells.
We did an experiment a few years ago in mice where we very carefully compared these IPS cells to embryo-derived stem cells and to this new type of stem cell, the ones derived by cloning or nuclear transfer. And in that experiment it looked like the cloned stem cells had very subtle advantages. They were slightly more similar to the natural stem cells.
And whether that's going to be relevant in the human context to studying disease or treating disease, we don't know. But this new breakthrough, this human nuclear transfer stem cell, now gives us the ability to make that ultimate comparison. So from a scientific point of view, this is in fact an important contribution.
FLATOW: There is another difference in that you are inserting the nucleus, the DNA, into the cytoplasm, right, of the...
DALEY: Yes, this is a very important point, as well. So one of the real advantages of nuclear transfer, if you will, is to potentially treat a range of diseases that are called mitochondrial disorders. Now in the egg, the - obviously the DNA encodes for most of the genes, but there are these little factories, these sort of power plants of the cell, called mitochondria, which are small structures that live outside of the nucleus.
They are inherited from the mother in her cytoplasm. Now if you have defective mitochondria, you can have a range of diseases called Kearns-Sayre syndrome or Pearson's syndrome. These can be devastating diseases. They can be associated with eye muscle abnormalities or muscle weakness or bone marrow failure. We've seen kids here at the Children's Hospital who die of these diseases.
Nuclear transfer actually allows you to generate an egg or an early embryo, which has the DNA of the parents but has replaced any defective mitochondria with healthy mitochondria. So this general strategy of nuclear transfer does have a legitimate medical application in the treatment of mitochondrial diseases.
But I want to go on record as saying that there's a clear, bright line between legitimate scientific applications of nuclear transfer, of cloning, and that is to make stem cell, that is different from what I would say is an illegitimate and unsafe application, which would be in reproduction, in making babies.
I don't think any legitimate scientist wants to take this technology forward to making babies, but to make cells and to study cells is of great medical value.
FLATOW: Dr. Johnston?
JOHNSTON: Well, I think that Dr. Daley is right in pointing out that there is a significant, significant consensus against the use of this technology for reproductive cloning in the scientific community. And that's reflected also in some state laws in the U.S. and also some laws in other countries that have distinguished between reproductive uses and research and therapeutic uses of this technology.
I would say that I don't think we've had a really significant public debate about reproductive cloning and what would - why we would ever want to do it and what any reasons might be for doing it. It's fairly widely assumed to be a negative use, and many people are opposed to it.
We don't have a national law on that, but a number of states that have put money into stem cell research have gone - have passed laws at a state level that permit therapeutic uses of this technology but ban reproductive uses. So it is a very popular and important distinction.
FLATOW: But do you suspect someone might do it someplace, somewhere?
DALEY: Well, you know, it's...
FLATOW: I mean, we had Dolly the Sheep.
DALEY: We don't know what is going to be practiced, and in fact there was one published attempt some years ago of the use of nuclear transfer to create a cloned embryo and to do a transfer to create a pregnancy. That was done offshore. The Food and Drug Administration is on record as saying that it would fall within their jurisdiction if this type of approach were practiced for human fertility.
FLATOW: OK, let me interrupt you. We'll get - we have to take a break. We'll talk lots more about that, our number 1-800-989-8255, talking with Josephine Johnston and George Daley on SCIENCE FRIDAY. I'm Ira Flatow, this is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR.
FLATOW: This is SCIENCE FRIDAY; I'm Ira Flatow. We're talking this hour about the breakthrough announced this week in cloning of a human embryo with my guests, we were talking about this, George Daley of Boston Children's Hospital, Josephine Johnston of The Hastings Center.
When I rudely interrupted you, Dr. Daley, you were talking about whether you think anybody would ever actually go down the full Dolly path and clone a human, and you said this is under FDA regulation, and that it probably, most likely, for sure, the FDA would not permit this. But I'm thinking of somewhere around the other parts of the world, where there is no tight regulation of this.
DALEY: And that's true, and I think there is - there is one published account of an attempt. I mean, I think the question that's raised is, you know, does there need to be, you know, a new law, and I'm making the point that the Food and Drug Administration already has jurisdiction and would step in and prevent this.
And so my concern is that any new law, as it's been debated in the past in the U.S. Congress, has tended to conflate the legitimate scientific applications of nuclear transfer, the so-called therapeutic cloning, and the illegitimate reproductive aspect. I'm worried that the politicization of this issue would end up with a law that would outlaw all sorts of nuclear transfer research, and that would be, I think - have a very, very negative effect on the science, which is extremely valuable and should continue.
FLATOW: Dr. Johnston, does it matter ethically that the women were paid for using their eggs?
JOHNSTON: Well, this is something that's - about which there's a significant debate. So I personally have come forward towards the end of believing that it is permissible to pay participants in research for their participation, and I don't see why would treat egg donors any differently in that regard than we treat other people who are involved in research and often compensated for their time.
So I don't see that as inherently trouble. I will point out, of course, that egg donation carries risks with it, and so we want to be very careful that we understand those risks and that they're clearly communicated and that they are balanced against the benefits of the research.
FLATOW: Let me go to one call from Ron(ph) in Manchester, New Hampshire. Hi Ron.
RON: Hi, amazing topic, and I (unintelligible), correct me if I'm wrong. My understanding is a major difference between a regular somatic cell and a cell derived - you know, an embryo derived the conventional way has to do with the telomeres on the chromosomes, that, you know, the gonadal tissues that give rise to the reproductive cells can clip the telomeres and make them young.
But like, if you start with an adult cell, and the cell - the chromosomes have already aged, and they have these longer telomeres, you know, one would think that would be a major difference between these embryos and conventionally derived embryos.
DALEY: Yeah, so telomeres are like the little plastic at the end of your shoelace that keeps it from fraying. The telomeres are on the ends of each of the human chromosomes, and they end in the cells of the gonads and let's say the sperm and the egg, they tend to be kind of rejuvenated with each cycle of life.
The cloning process, as with the reprogramming process that Yamanaka taught us about, actually re-grows the telomeres. So we believe that the stem cells that arise from the process are in a way rejuvenated, and so we wouldn't have to worry about the aging of these chromosomes by deterioration of telomeres. So the stem cells really function very well.
FLATOW: If you then created new body parts or use them therapeutically, the stem cells, and they had rejuvenated telomeres, would - does it mean that those body parts are younger?
DALEY: Well, I mean, to say that all aging has to do with the deterioration of the telomeres is a - you know, that's simplistic. Aging is a very complex process that affects lots of aspects of the cells. But if you're just looking at telomeres, when we make stem cells in a Petri dish and tissues from them, they have been rejuvenated at the level of their telomeres. So yes, they would be healthier and younger, if you will.
JOHNSTON: Can I...?
FLATOW: Sure.
JOHNSTON: One thing that the caller raises in my mind is that we have had some experience with cloning in animals, reproductive cloning, and there have been - it seems that there are medical problems with the offspring. And so what the caller's question made me think about the fact that even if the cells, the stem cells that we get out of the cloned embryos are medically useful and helpful, it's not clear that any reproductive use of those embryos would result in healthy children, which is one of the reasons why there is so much concern about reproductive cloning and why that would represent a significant ethical question about whether it could be done safely, if it would be done at all.
DALEY: Yeah, I would echo that. We have had experience with cloning over a dozen different mammals, from mice to pigs to cats, dogs, cows and the like, and, you know, where you can tell, these cloned animals have had significant medical problems: shortened life spans; problems with obesity and the like.
And so for that reason I don't think any scientists are comfortable thinking that you're going to use these embryos in reproduction.
FLATOW: One question for you before we go. If you were going to use them therapeutically, as you're speaking, would there be any advantage - let's say a woman needs some therapeutic use of these stem cells - would there be any advantage in taking an egg from the same person that you would take the skin cells to produce the stem cells from?
DALEY: Well you ask an interesting question. I mean whether or not there's any immunogeneticy or an immune response to proteins of the mitochondria, and there is some evidence that that can be - so your question is - yeah, there might be some advantages, but we have the IPS approach.
So if I took a skin biopsy from that woman and reprogrammed her skin cells, I'd be bringing along with it not only her nuclear DNA but her mitochondria, and they would be identical to her. So the real question is: Does a cloned cell have any scientific advantage or medical value that we don't already get from IPS cells?
JOHNSTON: And it's an important question. I happen to think IPS cells are much more flexible and easier to use and will ultimately be the dominant platform, but we have to do the comparison, and we have to answer the questions.
FLATOW: Well, thank you very much for taking time to talk with us about this very interesting subject, George Daley, professor at Harvard Med School, director of the Stem Cell Transplantation Program at Boston Children's Hospital; Josephine Johnston, research scholar at The Hastings Center, that's a bioethics think tank based in Garrison, New York. Thank you both.
DALEY: Thank you for your interest.
JOHNSTON: Thank you very much.
FLATOW: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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