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"'There was once a rich man, expensively dressed....wasting his days in conspicuous consumption....A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived on was...scraps off the rich man's table...Then he died, this poor man....The rich man also died....In hell and in torment, he looked up....He called out..."Send Lazarus..."...But Abraham said, 'Child, remember...'" Luke 16:19-31 (The Message).
A familiar story to Bible-readers, but what is the point of this parable? Hebrews read for identification. Who am I in the story? How often Jesus directed His stories at the Pharisees as a wake-up call! If God's word is a seed, then Jesus sowed lavishly into the ears of the religious leaders, but to no avail.
This is quite a shocking story for several reasons:
Firstly, it uncovers the heart of this rich man. Jesus had no issues with his being rich. In fact, the Apostle Paul stated categorically that Jesus Himself was rich. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV).
He had issues with what the rich man did with his riches. In this case, he spent it all on himself, not just on his needs, but on a sumptuous and lavish lifestyle that made him blind to the need of the poor man at his gate. A simple but graphic description of what was known as the 'yetzer harah' - the evil eye or the eye of darkness - the inward-looking eye that sees no-one but self.
Secondly, Jesus shows us the destiny of greedy and selfish people. Hell is not about God getting people back for not listening to Him. It's a consequence of a life squandered on self instead of fulfilling God's higher purpose. It was the garbage dump of the city where worthless stuff was burnt - a terrible tragedy and sorrow for the God who gave us the freedom to choose, knowing that that freedom could cost us our eternal destiny.
Thirdly, it smashed into the Hebrew philosophy that wealth was equal to God's blessing and poverty a curse on people who were out of favour with God. How could this rich man land up in hell if his wealth was a token of God's favour? This must have shocked both the Pharisees and the disciples. On one occasion, a rich man came to Jesus to ask what he needed to do to have the assurance of eternal life. Jesus told him to get rid of his wealth because it stood between him and following Him. The young man refused.
Jesus' comment puzzled His disciples. 'How difficult it is,' He said, 'for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' The disciples blurted out, 'Who, then, can be saved?' That was a shock to them. If rich people, who were supposed to be the blessed ones, could not enter the kingdom, what hope was there for the rest?
Jesus' story reveals something much deeper than wealth=blessing=salvation. It was not having wealth but what you did with it that revealed your heart. Wealth is a good servant but a terrible master. What we do with is it the measure of our love for God.
Fourthly, not even torment in hell changed the heart of this man. O yes, he thought about his brothers but only because he did not want them to experience the terrible end of a worthless life, which presupposed that they were living just as he had. But his attitude to the poor man had not changed. He still regarded him as less than himself. 'Send Lazarus,' he instructed Abraham, as though Lazarus were his servant to dispatch as he chose.
Jesus was not, for one moment, advocating good works as a way of salvation. His blood alone can forgive the guilt of our sin and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness, but He presupposed that our hearts will also be transformed so that we do not continue living self-indulgent lives. Generosity is a sure sign that our hearts and lives have been changed, If not, we need to re-evaluate so that we do not land up where the rich man did because he assumed....


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Got a minute?
Got a minute?
(Photo Credit: Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr)
For about as long as tech startups have existed, they have utilized a type of hiring process to ascertain if a potential employee would be a good fit for the company. Forget skills or resumes; these companies are simply looking to see if a personality will be a good match.
In my experience, I've seen companies in Silicon Valley hire a new employee because the worker was offering rideshare services and their new employer happened to like their personality and offered them a job on the spot, skills unseen. Elsewhere, I've seen companies have potential employees meet with the founders, and then send the candidate off to lunch with a few members of the existing staff to see if there is a "fit."
In both of these situations, the chances of "fitting" favors males, due to existing schema at most startups.
But what happens if you are one of the founders … and female? As Whitney Wolfe of Tinder discovered, the theory of maintaining "culture" meant that she was fired from her job as VP of marketing at Tinder and stripped of her title of cofounder. According to Refinery29, Wolfe filed a lawsuit against Tinder on June 30, in which she says former vice president Justin Mateen stripped Wolfe of her cofounder title because having a young female founder made the company look "like a joke."
"Facebook and Snapchat don't have girl founders," Mateen reportedly said, "it just makes it look like Tinder was some accident."
Unfortunately, the strong desire to exclude women from executive roles -- or even any role -- at startups is prevalent at many tech companies. Recent numbers revealed by Twitter, Facebook, and Google only a small percentage of females comprise the total number of employees in tech roles.
Refinery29 also notes that earlier this year, "longtime Github engineer Julie Ann Horvath resigned, saying in a tweet, 'My only regret is not leaving or being fired sooner.' Her resignation came with a story of overt sexism and ongoing attacks from male colleagues and superiors."
Adding to Wolfe, Horvath's story is just one of dozens revealing overt sexism in the tech industry over the past few years and a result of being ousted by culture.
It's an open question whether startups are leveraging the notion of "culture" to actively exclude women from these nascent companies. As companies mature, it may be critical for them not just to actively include women -- but to re-examine the idea of what exactly culture is and whether these culture-fit tests contribute positively to the corporate environment.
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subset: commoncrawl


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I know this could be done in older versions of zimbra in the admin console. Haven't been able to figure it out in latest version. Basically, just like you would in thunderbird, set up the directory server information and when you start addressing an email it will auto populate from ldap.
Thanks for your help


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Adam Levine, Kellan Lutz and Michael Strathan were among those who attended last night's (October 24, 2012) 2012 GQ Gentlemen's Ball presented by LG, Movado, and Nautica in New York City.
The annual event raises funds for Adam's charity, The Teen Impact Program at the LA Children's Hospital, and Kellan's charity, Saving Innocence–along with several other worthy causes.
If you remember, Kellan Lutz was recently quoted saying the he will win an Oscar someday. He felt that he had to clarify that remark.
"Not sure if you read my Oscar quote yesterday, but what I really meant is that I'll probably win a Razzie in the next 50 years, or maybe a lifetime achievement Oscar for least lines spoken in movies…I love to act, but don't need an award to feel proud of what I am doing. It's the passion and love for what I do that makes my heart beat with life and happiness." Got it Kellan!
If you've been watching American Horror Story you've seen Adam in some pretty risqué scenes with his on-screen wife Jenna Dewan.
He told People magazine, "Strangely enough, I'm not uncomfortable doing things like that. Jenna's a professional and she's amazing, and we have a lot of fun. We were laughing and joking the whole time."
Personally I have to say I enjoyed the scenes.


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BEIJING - AUGUST 16: (L-R) Michael Phelps of the United States is congratulated by Ian Crocker of the United States on his victory in the Men's 100m Butterfly Final held at the National Aquatics Centre during Day 8 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 16, 2008 in Beijing, China. By winning gold in the Men's 100m Butterfly Phelps tied Mark Spitz's record of winning seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games.
Beijing 2008,
100m butterfly men,
United States of America,
Ian CROCKER,
Michael PHELPS
Beijing 2008,


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The Court in charge of this case previously granted Final Approval of the settlement on March 27, 2014. It has been determined however, that Settlement Class Members with Settlement Class Vehicles registered in the state of Washington as of September 18, 2013 were inadvertently not mailed direct notice of the settlement (the "Omitted Owner Group"). The court will therefore hold a supplemental hearing on April 22, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. to provide members of the Omitted Owner Group an opportunity to object or exclude themselves from the previously approved nationwide settlement. Claim Forms will be processed and approved, and payments will be issued after the supplemental hearing. Click here for a copy of the Supplemental Notice.
Welcome to the Honda Engine Misfire Settlement website. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meaning ascribed to them as in the Class Action Settlement Agreement And Release. This website provides information about the settlement of a lawsuit concerning Engine Misfire and its symptoms and causes in the Settlement Class Vehicles (i.e., 2008-2012 Honda Accord; 2008-2013 Honda Odyssey; 2009-2013 Honda Pilot; 2010-2011 Honda Accord Crosstour; and 2012 Honda Crosstourequipped with a 6-cylinder engine with Variable Cylinder Management ("VCM-2")). If you purchased or leased one of the cars described above, you are a member of the Settlement Class and you may be entitled to certain benefits, described in detail in the Class Notice.
This proposed settlement was preliminarily approved by the Court on October 9, 2013. The Final Approval Hearing was held on March 21, 2014, and the Court entered its Final Approval Order on March 27, 2014. The settlement is now Final. On or before June 30, 2014, the Settlement Administrator expects to begin mailing reimbursements of eligible Out-of-Pocket Expenses to Settlement Class Members who have already received notice from the Settlement Administrator that their Claim for reimbursement was accepted and approved.
For Settlement Class Members whose claims were denied in whole or in part, and whose Claims are subsequently approved in whole or in part by the Settlement Administrator after a valid and timely request for reconsideration, reimbursements for eligible Out-of-Pocket Expenses are expected to be mailed beginning in September 2014. Please check this website regularly for updates from the Settlement Administrator.
All of your rights and options under the proposed settlement are explained in detail in the court-approved
Class Notice. Please check this website regularly for updates from the Settlement Administrator.


text:
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After the neighbor's house burned, a solution to finding houses on this street was to change the street name. Today, on one end of Country Club Lane, the street sign says Sandy Shores Drive, but on the other end: Sandy Shore Lane. I warned Cornelius that a Sandy Shores existed in Bahia Bay!!!! Now, everyone is LOST!
Now, everyone is LOST!
by Dear Peeved


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In late October, Jet Life Recordings and The Cool Kids fans were greeted with news from Curren$y that he signed Sir Michael Rocks (a/k/a Mikey Rocks) onto his label. The tweet briefly stated: "Happy to have added one of my good friends to the J.L.R. family. Roll one for @SirMichaelRocks for he is indeed Jet Life Official." Joining Smoke DZA, Trademark Da Skydiver, Young Rody, Fiend, Corner Boy P, Monsta Beatz, Street Wiz and Mousa, Mikey Rocks solidifies his solo career after the success of Premier Politics.
Releasing the long-awaited When Fish Ride Bicylces, with Chuck Inglish earlier this year, HipHopDX recently caught up with Mikey Rocks to discuss this new chapter of his career.
HipHopDX: Curren$y was quoted to have said "Happy to have added one of my good friends to the Jet Life family." Friendship aside, what kind of feedback does Curren$y give you, as an an artist himself, on your music?
Sir Michael Rocks: Man, Curren$y has always been a big supporter of what I got going on; my whole style to just my whole take on everything. I've actually been a fan of him for awhile now as well, since his Cash Money [Records] days. We first got together back in 2009 when he came to Chicago but we never ended up recording any music. We just got real high and kicked it for a while and just started building a friendship. It wasn't till later that year, in New York, we really got to record for his Pilot Talk album. I'm a fan of his first and he's a big supporter of mine. He tells me that I have so much potential to reach whatever I want to get at in my career and in life.
DX: Did his feedback ever give you a idea that he would eventually sign you onto Jet Life Recordings? If so, how?
Sir Michael Rocks: Well it's more like... we been friends for awhile and you know, I feel like it's more like a merger between us, rather than him looking for artists to sign. He saw that I was doing my solo thing and didn't really have a home for it. At the same time, I was really digging his movement and everything they got going on. Back when we first started making music together, I definitely could've seen me working with him. Just putting our forces together, ya know? So it's really not too surprising that we're working together now.
DX: How do you think Jet Life Recordings will cater to you as an artist?
Sir Michael Rocks: I'm very independent. I don't really look to anybody to tell me what my next move should be or how my work ethic should be or to guide me. I kind of handle all of that on my own. I've been doing that since me and Chuck [Inglish] started The Cool Kids stuff a while ago. I like to learn from others and take advice, of course, but I don't really look to anybody for work motivation or someone to keep me organized. With that said, I'm sure I'll be able to learn a lot from JLR, but at the same time, still be able to do me. As for Curren$y leading the pack, I want to be able to combine our forces. It's going to be fun.
DX: You recently released your solo tape, Premier Politics last month, what kind of creative growth would you like to have represented on your first album under the Jet Life label?
Sir Michael Rocks: I just want to continue to grow and evolve; get better at rapping. I want to get more and more comfortable on the mic and in my own ways. As an artist, you gotta develop your own style over time. 'Cause everybody kinda starts off with the same structure and it's up to us to learn the technicalities of it first and then start to develop your own style off that. I pretty much have to keep developing my thought process and my own approach to everything and personalizing that. I want you to feel like you stepped into a whole different world with my music, ya know? You gotta come to where I'm at and feel where I'm coming from on every song. I'm tryin' to create a small world within itself with my music. And I want that represented on JLR.
DX: What does the "Jet Life" represent or mean to you? And how will that be reflected in your music?
Sir Michael Rocks: The acronym "Just Enjoy This Shit" is great. It made sense to me when I first saw it. I like it 'cause in life, we look at things way too seriously. We sorta forget the bigger picture of things. We're gonna die soon man, so why are we sitting here, stressing and not enjoying life? Life is beautiful. It's like a rainbow that shows black too; it's got every color on it. It's got the ugly stuff and the beautiful stuff. And we need to be enjoying it all while we're still here. J.E.T.S. is bigger than some weed-smoking ish, I mean, it's a part of it but its way bigger than that to me. I want to make sure that that's captured too. "Just enjoy this shit," it's a powerful statement, man. I mean, we're young, not the richest, but we still got money so we should be comfortable. We kickin' it and we should be able to do what it do, and that's fresh. We those guys right now.
DX: What's next for the Cool Kids?
Sir Michael Rocks: When me and Chuck record, it's a little different because sometimes he'll have a beat already made and I come in, listen to it, and get vibes as to what I want to do with it, even if I like it or not. Chuck will then add his stuff to it as we kinda just sit around and vibe on the beat. We talk about our ideas and themes then bounce ideas off each other for a bit until we figure it out. We really just build off of each other, it's a very team-orientated work situation. If we're not together, I get the beat and do what I think I should do to it then he adds what he thinks he should do to it and in the end, we always seem to match vibes and pull it off. On the solo side of things, it's a little different. It's just me, everything is all me. I come up with things on my own, and have more responsibility. At the same time, it's cool to be able to express yourself further. As opposed to getting just one verse, you get more verses and get to say more and get more of your thoughts across as a soloist. I'm an interchangeable type of dude, I know how to work on a team and I know how to work on my own. [I] just gotta make the best out of any situation.
As for new Cool Kids stuff, we're currently working on our Shark Week tape. We plan to go out the country and record somewhere that's warm and just getaway [and] possibly film a movie short to the album. As of right now, we're touring for When Fish Ride Bicycles while I work on my solo stuff; we keep things moving.
DX: You guys reference a lot about animals in your music, why is that?
Sir Michael Rocks: It's kind of random but I was actually about to be a zoologist, 'cause I know everything about animals, but then I changed my mind.
DX: Things are definitely looking up for you and it's all rooted in your hard work. Props to you for that. My last question is this, if Hip Hop were a person, what would you say to him/her?
Sir Michael Rocks: I'd tell her this..."You don't know what the fuck you are or who you are. You don't even have a face." I'd say this because I don't think Hip Hop is every going to be just one thing. It can't be put into a box 'cause there's so many people doing it and so many different perspectives looking at it. It's not going to be just this one consistent thing; everybody likes different shit. I like the diversity of it though.
DX: Interesting you say that, do you feel that some people try to keep it in a box though?
Sir Michael Rocks: Hell yeah! It's human nature to try to box something in. But you can't do that 'cos everything is situational. Things change and it's stupid tryin' to box anything in especially with artists. You don't want to mess with their creativity and you do that if you put them in a box. It's more important for us to try what we want to try and let us become the best we can be from what we learn.


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The Bachelorette Takes Her Men to Iceland!
June 21, 2010 06:56 PM by Candace Young
Tonight on ABC's The Bachelorette, Ali Fedotowsky will takes the remaining bachelors to Iceland as they continue traveling around the world to win Ali's heart! She thinks it's a magical place…let's find out!
Chris Harrison greets the guys when they arrive in Iceland. He tells them there will be a group date, a one-on-one date, and the dreaded two-on-one date from which one bachelor will not return! The men learn they will have to compete for the coveted one-on-one date with Ali this week by composing the winning love poem! Chris hints that they should try to sneak in an Icelandic word for extra credit. They have one hour.
The love poems are read in front of Ali and Chris. The other guys feel Kasey's mumbling requires an interpreter, and Chris N forgets his lines. Kirk really steps up and makes Ali giggle, but Frank thinks he can do better, and sits with Ali on the bench as he reads.  Ali chooses Kirk since he came right up to her, and also because he hasn't had a one-on-one date with her yet.
Ali and Kirk head out on their date, with her hoping to find out if he's husband material. They stop in a sweater shop and spend time cracking up. They wind up leaving in matching sweaters! In a diner, she quizzes him on his dating history. He admits he has had multiple relationships, none of which lasted more than a year. This concerns her, and she feels he's holding something back. Later, over dinner, Kirk tells Ali about getting very sick in college from mold and asbestos in his dorm house, and how it affected his outlook. They kiss. He gets the rose.
Back in the guys' suite, they get the group date card. Roberto, Chris L, Chris N, Craig, Ty, and Frank are tapped to go. Kasey and Justin are left, meaning they get the two-on-one date. Justin senses weakness in his competition! Frank talks to Kasey, who he thinks is headed over the edge. He urges Kasey to shine on the two-on-one date and send the wrestler home. He keeps a straight face as he says it. Justin plots to get rid of Kasey, and he begins by getting his cast off!
The next day, Ali prepares to take the six guys on an adventurous group date. When they meet her she has horses. Ty is most at home as they saddle up and head up the trails. Ty helps Chris, who is experiences difficulties with his horse. They are then faced with the prospect of going down into an underground cave. Again, Ty takes a leadership role and Ali notices. So does Chris L, who makes sure he's the first into the cave with Ali. They explore, but come out in time for sunset.
Later, she takes them to a hot spring called Blue Lagoon and strips down into her bathing suit, which gets quite a reaction. The guys pile in after her and the rose appears. Ali takes Ty off alone and they spend some very close time. Chris L is next, and some kissing happens. Frank gets his chance and Ali calls him out on sitting back during the group dates. At rose time, Ty is confident he'll get it – he does.
Back in the suite, Justin and Kasey bicker about who will go home, and get the two-on-one date card which reads, "Let's explore the land of fire and ice."
Justin and Kasey go to meet Ali, who is amazed to see Justin without crutches. They get into a helicopter to go see the volcano, which starts spewing lava as they are over it. Justin calls it a once in a lifetime experience – and that's before they land on it and get out! It looks awesome.
Later, they go to an cavernous room in which everything is made entirely of ice, and is lit with candles. Ali spends some time with Justin who feels he says all the right things to win the rose. Ali gets alone time with Kasey next and he finally reveals the tattoo. She takes it well, and thanks him for being himself. When it's time for Ali to make a decision, she starts by saying, "This sucks." She sheds tears before giving Justin the rose, and telling Kasey she doesn't want to hold him back. He's left on the glacier as she and Justin leave in the helicopter.
Justin returns to the house to let the others know that Kasey is gone. Next up is the cocktail party, at which Ali admits she feels so bad about Kasey. Frank makes an effort to come forward and be the first to take her aside for a chat. They wind up sharing a kiss. Craig, who is nervous tonight, gets the next chat with Ali. He cracks her up by showing her a pretend tattoo on his wrist! Ali tries to draw out Chris N, but he is just shell-shocked in her presence. It's bad. Chris L and Ali actually start talking about if they'd relocate. Roberto gets his time, and Ali tells him she never would have come up to him – he's too hot looking for her!
Chris Harrison announces that it's time for the Rose Ceremony. Craig remarks to the camera that a good guy will leave tonight and Justin will stay in his place, and that's a shame!
Ali talks to Chris about how great Iceland is, and then he asks about Kasey. She thinks he fell in love with the idea of falling in love with her. She feels sending him home was the right thing for both of them. Chris challenges Ali on being afraid to fall in love herself. She admits she's afraid she won't be loved back.
Ali goes back to face the bachelors. Kirk, Ty, and Justin are safe. She offers roses to Frank, Chris L, Roberto, and Craig. Chris N is leaving tonight.
Want more? Follow our tweets on Twitter and "like" us on Facebook! For other great The Bachelorette news, please feel free to check out SirLinksALot: The Bachelorette and then come and discuss the show on our reality TV message boards.
For more breaking news about celebrities and entertainment visit our sister site SheKnows.com!
Photos Courtesy of ABC
Topics: ABC Reality TV Shows, The Bachelorette |
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About the CampaignJune 26th, 2012
Poor hygiene, chemicals, pollution, poor nutrition and food additives can lead to serious health problems in small children. Their immune system is still immature and it is harder for their bodies to fight bacteria and viruses. Our everyday live is full of stress and pollution. But as parents who want the best for our children, need to make better efforts in providing more natural and earth-friendly child care.
There are 4, 4 million children under 5 years of age in the UK (ONS, 2008), the majority of whom attend full-time daycare. This means that nurseries' environment play crucial role for children's health. Making nurseries more eco-friendly and encouraging them to reduce chemicals in their premises will promote better baby and children's health, reducing the infections and straightening their immunity. And this will be great for the environment, too!
Whilst it is difficult to quantify how the environmental factors impact level of disease amongst children, it is well established that the environment can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing, particularly amongst babies and young children. Given the influence of the environment on many aspects of child health, there is a real opportunity to improve children's health by ensuring that they live in a clean and healthy environment which nurtures good health and wellbeing.
Key Campaign Areas
- Provide better food and nutrition at nurseries
- Reduce chemicals in the daycare premises
- Improve hygiene in daycare premises
- Encourage children to stay active
- Help nurseries become more eco-friendly


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7 hours ago - 1 Likes
Another sell-out!
Following on from yesterday?s bumper crowd at Aussie Stadium, Saturday night?s Grand Final Qualifier between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Wests Tigers is officially sold out.
Wests Tigers season ticket holders today purchased the premium reserved seating bays that had been reserved for them. These seats went on sale at 9.00pm this morning. The 10,000 general seats that were still available at full time yesterday have also been picked up.
It represents one of the fastest sell outs in finals history.
The NRL today also repeated the fact that it had been impossible for the match to have been switched to an alternate venue.
While this matter had been investigated it became immediately apparent that the number of pre-purchased seats, corporate packages and advertising contracts that had been in place, as well as the stadium member arrangements meant that such a late transfer was impossible.


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Sopapillas are total decadence for me. You'd think after concluding a stomach-swelling multi-course meal of chips and salsa, queso, guacamole, tamales, rice, beans and enchiladas that it would be impossible to find room for just one more dish. But I can never refuse a warm, steamy basket of this sweet, fried bread, dusted with cinnamon sugar and drowning in honey.
When I was little, sopapillas meant special occasions. Because my mom always had amazing cakes and cookies at home, we seldom ordered dessert when dining in restaurants. But if it was my birthday, I would insist on having sopapillas. It was always a huge presentation, with the waiter wielding a sopapilla stuffed with a lit candle while the restaurant's mariachis sang "Feliz Cumpleanos" at the top of their lungs. Never mind the chocolate cake waiting for me at home, this was the way to celebrate!
This last Thanksgiving, my whole, extended family left the farm and went into town to eat an excellent Tex-Mex meal at San Miguel's in McKinney, TX. It had been a long time since I'd eaten sopapillas, especially as they aren't on menus here in New York City. With a farmhouse filled with pies, however, I just sadly assumed sopapillas were not an option on this outing. But as a waiter is inclined to suggestively sell, it was little surprise when ours asked if we'd like to order this delectable treat. After his query, the table was silent. As I've said, my family just doesn't order desserts. It killed me to not shout out, "Yes, yes, I need a sopapilla!" but I kept my mouth shut as I didn't want to appear disrespectful towards my grandmother's baking bounty. Thankfully, my uncle was not so shy and he saved me from my delicious dilemma by saying, "Of course! We'd love some sopapillas!" So my family shared a small order, and after that first sticky bite into the soft, honey-drenched dough, we all agreed: sopapillas are sweet heaven indeed.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sopapillas with a side of honey
Sopapillas are total decadence for me. You'd think after concluding a stomach-swelling multi-course meal of chips and salsa, queso, guacamole, tamales, rice, beans and enchiladas that it would be impossible to find room for just one more dish. But I can never refuse a warm, steamy basket of this sweet, fried bread, dusted with cinnamon sugar and drowning in honey.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Cheese enchiladas: the essence of Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex is not Mexican food. That's right, even though most of the restaurants you see all over Texas say that they're Mexican, they're not. But that's OK. When Diana Kennedy bellyached that the food Texans were cooking was an abomination of her beloved la cocina Mexicana, Texans replied, "You're right. Tex-Mex is a cuisine of its own!"
As much respect I have for Kennedy's work, she was rather draconian in her assessment on what was happening north of the border. I won't begin to outline the differences between Tex-Mex and Mexican food because quite frankly, there are more similarities than differences. And as Tex-Mex is practically a youngster in the grand scheme of world cuisines (it's only been around for about 150 years), it's still evolving.
Many traditional Mexican ingredients, such as epazote, huitlacoche, prickly pear, jicama and yes, even cilantro were absent on your classic Tex-Mex menu—which was a brown feast of tamales, tacos, enchiladas and queso, sandwiched between mountains of rice and beans. But today, many restaurants are going beyond the basics and including more of these authentic Mexican flavors. Squash blossom quesadillas? Of course! Chicken in mole verde de pepita? Why not?
Monday, January 22, 2007
SHF: Chocolate Frito pie
I don't have much of a sweet tooth. I seldom order desserts when dining out, and when as kids we'd ride our bikes to 7-11, while the others would spend their allowances on confections, I'd always opt for a bag of Fritos.
I love Fritos. This humble little Texan chip is snack perfection for me. Its delicate curve, its strong yet light crunch, its toasted, sweet corn flavor brought out by its salty coating—all glorious! I've been known to just pop a Frito in my mouth and suck on it like candy, drawing out all of its corn goodness until the chip finally dissolves into a pile of mush. OK, that probably sounds odd, but trust me, it's fun! And when you eat Fritos, you can pretend they're good for you, as the ingredients are just corn, oil and salt—nothing artificial about these babies, they're practically a whole food.
One of the best Frito dishes is something called Frito pie. It's a bag of Fritos topped with chili, cheese and diced onions found at county fairs and football games all over Texas. But we'll discuss that another day. Right now, I'm here to talk about a crazy concoction I created for Sugar High Friday hosted this month by David Lebovitz.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Iron pan, perfect cornbread
Classic things bring me joy. Perhaps it's part of my frugal nature, but give me something that is destined to last for years over something trendy or disposable any day. One of my oldest treasures is my cast iron skillet. It's my favorite tool in the kitchen and if I've cooked a meal, chances are at least one dish was touched by my iron skillet's surface, seasoned by almost a hundred year's worth of food memories. If I think about it enough, it almost gives me chills to think of all that history gracing each meal.
I wish my iron skillet was an old family heirloom because that would make for a better story. As much as I'd like to embellish, however, I have to admit I bought my iron skillet in an antique shop. (Hey, at least it's old!) I found it in Iowa City many years ago, and the shop owner told me it was cast in the early 1900s. There's no date or brand on it, so unless I carbon dated it there's no real way of knowing its true age. It's said, however, that a flat bottom means the cookware is older than one with ridges; mine is flat. It's also blacker than midnight and heavier than a house. (Making it ideal for both toning my arms and shooing away door-to-door salesman.) And working with it is a dream as it heats evenly, is nonstick and transfers brilliantly from the stove top to the oven. It's a true one-pan wonder.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Who cares where the burger was born?
There's been a whole lot of hooey lately about where the burger was born. On one side, you have Louis' Lunch of New Haven, who's gone so far as to get the Library of Congress to validate its burger boast. On the other side, you have State Rep. Betty Brown of Texas arguing that the first burger was served in Athens, TX. She's even proposed a state bill to codify this claim.
Well, who cares? To me, it's all pure nonsense made in the name of pride. The real question is where would you rather eat a burger today? Texas or Connecticut? I'm not saying that there aren't good burgers in Connecticut, but check out this old New York Times article by William Grimes. In it, he says that burgers are to Texas as croissants are to France. "It's a symbol, a necessity and a triumph, a part of the cultural patrimony so tightly woven into the fabric of Texas life that Texans themselves do not even remark on it until they are presented with the gray-tinged, underfurnished, suspiciously geometric hamburger that the rest of America lives with."
Connecticut can have its provenance, but let Texas have its "cultural patrimony." Face it, no one is ever really going to know the exact moment and place the burger was invented. So let's just think about where we'd want to eat a good burger today. I know where I'm going, and it's not New Haven.
Monday, January 15, 2007
On mole and matrimony
My dear, food-loving friend Monica recently announced that she and her fiancé John eloped to Oaxaca, Mexico. How appropriate, I thought, as Oaxaca is the land of seven moles.
Mole (pronounced moh-LAY) is a rich, complex blend of seemingly disparate ingredients: chocolate, chiles, cinnamon, nuts, chicken broth and raisins being just a few. And the making of the sauce takes preparation, patience, passion, dedication and time. But the rewards far outweigh the travails: after one bite, you can taste all that you've put into the mole and that joy makes it all worthwhile. Much like marriage.
Monica and I go back almost 20 years. We met when we were teenagers and we bonded by tooling around North Texas in her silver Jeep Cherokee, singing at the top of our lungs, debating the meaning of life and stirring up all sorts of mischief. We weren't much into food back then as Whataburger and Taco Bueno made up the bulk of our diet. But we had a taste for life and as we walked into a new, grown-up world with wobbly legs, those college-era friendships provided the necessary support to transform us from unruly kids into productive, responsible and caring adults.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Texas toast points
Sometimes I fail at being a Homesick Texan. Yes, yes, I know it may be hard to believe, but there are some challenges just too impossible to overcome.
But first, let's get something straight. That product called Texas toast you find in the freezer section of the grocery store? It may be toast, but it's not Texas toast—it's garlic bread. I don't mean to disparage the stuff, which has lots of fans and I understand is quite tasty. But it's so far from the real deal, I just felt it time to stand up, stomp my feet and say something.
I've ranted on this before and I will rant on this again: Texas is not an adjective to be used lightly, yet people love to throw it around, usually when trying to conjure a sense of great size. Last time I checked, Alaska was the biggest state in terms of land mass and California in terms of population. So why not Alaskan toast? Or Californian toast? OK, perhaps the lack of alliteration makes those names less snappy. And yes, perhaps we should be flattered, but there is a real food out there called Texas toast and it upsets me to see people eating something mislabeled.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Salsa salvation: Ninfa's green sauce
When I was a small kid in Dallas, my parents and I often ate Mexican at Herrara's, a charming hole in the wall where you had to walk through the kitchen to get to your coveted table, which was one of about 8—hence the long, long lines of hungry people streaming out the door. I always ordered the same thing: a child's tamale plate with rice and beans. No experimentation for me, I ate this every visit. This was the perfect Mexican meal for me and I was satisfied.
When I was nine, we moved to Houston. The first time we went to a Mexican restaurant, I was in for a big shock: where were the tamales? Instead, Houston Mexican menus featured dishes I'd never heard of such as enchiladas verdes. Also, being close to the Gulf, fish tacos were popular, as were tacos al carbon and a sizzling skillet of fajitas. And besides the usual bowl of red salsa on the table there was also a bowl of green. I was upset I couldn't order my usual meal, but after I had my first taste of green sauce—a creamy and tangy mix of avocados, cilantro, tomatillos, jalapenos and sour cream—I no longer missed tamales. Mexican food had taken on a whole new meaning. (Likewise, it was my first lesson in learning that Tex-Mex, like all great cuisines, has regional variations.)
Thursday, January 04, 2007
I walk the line: Luby's
I grew up in a frugal household. After witnessing Houston's boom and bust in the 70's, my parents were classic penny pinchers—they clipped coupons, insisted I bring my lunch to school, chose the library over a bookstore for fresh books, flew Southwest Airlines, championed the benefits of a free education and encouraged me to earn and save my own money. And no fancy restaurants for my family—instead you'd find us every Wednesday walking the line at Luby's. Why? Because on Wednesdays, kids could eat for free.
While Luby's was never cool, I actually enjoyed my weekly meal there. The possibilities were endless, a 30-foot long buffet of whatever you wanted. You'd start with the Jello, lettuce and fruit salads, then slide your tray along the rails to the meats (where there was always a whole nicely browned turkey and juicy hunk of prime rib just waiting for carving), then the vegetables (yes, macaroni and cheese is a vegetable), the breads (clover rolls, cornbread and Texas toast), the desserts (cream pies, cobblers and more Jello) and the drinks (Coke, milk and iced tea). I'm stuck in my ways, so I always ordered the same thing, a Lu Ann Platter with fried fish, mashed potatoes, green beans and a roll. When I became a rebellious teenager, however, I switched from fish to liver and onions and added fruit salad and corn bread to my meal. But it didn't matter what I ordered, it was always lip-smacking good.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Me on Midtown Lunch
If you are stuck working in Midtown, Midtown Lunch is a must-read. The intrepid Zach navigates through Midtown's steel canyons on a constant quest to find the best in lunchtime options. You have to admire his dedication and even if you don't try every place he reviews, his blog inspires a sense of exploration and a determination to go beyond the deli salad bar.
Every Tuesday, he does a Q&A with a fellow Midtown luncher and today that Midtown luncher is yours truly. If you've ever asked yourself, "What's Homesick Texan's favorite Midtown burger?" or wondered how old I am, check it out.


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ST. LOUIS (AP) - Jordair Jett scored all 16 of his points in the second half and Mike McCall, Jr. added 15 to help Saint Louis win its eighth straight and take sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10 with a 76-62 victory over No. 24 VCU on Tuesday night.
Saint Louis (20-5, 9-2) holds a half-game advantage over No. 15 Butler (21-6, 9-3), which beat cellar dweller Duquesne 68-49 Tuesday. The Billikens will visit Butler Friday. SLU defeated the Bulldogs at home 75-58 on Jan. 31.
Led by Jett and Cody Ellis, who contributed 10 points, SLU's bench outscored VCU's 34-14. Dwayne Evans also was in double figures for SLU with 14 points.
VCU (21-6, 9-3) was led by Juvonte Reddic with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The double-double was his 10th this season.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Associated Press


text:
New General Manager Has Big Plans for PSD
September 23, 2013
New Marshall County Public Service District No. 3 General Manager Tom Seifert has big plans for the way the district operates....
But of course they need a grant!
"Additionally, Seifert asked the commission for help in finding grant funds to purchase heavy machinery for the district."
why should my tax money (grants) be used to buy you equipment for a service that I do NOT use?
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Well, this is the most awesome thing ever. Rebel Wilson has decided to become a rapper. Here's her first music video.
Rebel Wilson Has Become A Rapper And It Is Wonderful
- 4 years ago by Jessica P. Ogilvie
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|Video: Here's An Un-Ironically Absurd TV Commercial For Those 'Bic For Her' Pens
|Video: Fashion Week Edition Of Vice's Slutever Explores How To Bang Male Models


text: Very mild weather conditions will continue across our area for Tuesday. Patchy dense fog will develop over much of the area overnight as winds become calm. The fog will likely linger into mid-morning Tuesday before burning off by the afternoon. Skies will become mostly sunny with highs into the lower 70s. The mild weather will continue into midweek with a slight risk for showers on Wednesday afternoon.


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Yesterday, the President cleared the boy's fees up to University level and promised to alleviate his family's condition. After that, the President took Owira on a tour of the State House. Take a look;
President Uhuru Kenyatta meeting Daniel Owira at his State House Office
President Uhuru sharing a light moment with Daniel Owira
President Uhuru Kenyatta has a word with Daniel Owira, his family & teacher when they called on him at State House, Nairobi.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on a tour of State House
A tour of State House offices
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Daniel Owira chatting within State House Corridor
President Uhuru Kenyatta showing Owira one of the offices
The President taking Owira on a tour of more offices
The President showing Owira the State House Lawns
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Owira preparing for a photo shoot
(L-R) , Owira's Sister, His mother, President Uhuru Kenyatta, Daniel Owira and teacher at State House, Nairobi
Photo props: State House Kenya


text:
You can use
Mail relay testing
i think the reason why the open relay failed is because i cant actually send mails to the outside world just tried sending a mail to my gmail account and it failed giving and error
The message could not be sent because one of the recipients was rejected by the server. The rejected e-mail address was 'email@example.com'. Subject 'hh', Account: 'x.x.x.x', Server: 'x.x.x.x', Protocol: SMTP, Server Response: '554 5.7.1
: Relay access denied', Port: 25, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 554, Error Number: 0x800CCC79
That is the response I would expect and it shows you can't send email to the outside world without authentication. As I've already said, logging in as a user to get email from your server means I would then be authenticated and I could send mail to the outside world.
Acompli: A new adventure for Co-Founder KevinH.
ok now how do i resolve that i really appreciate your help really i know i have been a bit of a pain but i just want the server to be safe.
it was sending mails before i changed the host name and it stopped but i can receive mails


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This topic is archived and can not be replied to any more.
|So You Want To Be A Regional Airline Pilot? posted Fri Dec 8 2006 06:32:37 by Flyf15
|Toulouse To Be A350 Assembly Site (reuters) posted Tue Dec 5 2006 12:01:05 by Curmudgeon
|How Much Wider Would A320 Need To Be? posted Wed Nov 29 2006 01:09:44 by FlyDreamliner
|A350 , Half To Be Outsourced posted Wed Nov 29 2006 00:12:49 by Trex8
|New Seaplane Services To Be Launched From Glasgow posted Tue Nov 28 2006 12:30:56 by Gilesdavies
|Taag 747SP-300 To Be Converted For Cargo posted Mon Oct 9 2006 17:48:52 by AirSpare
|KMFR- Any Mainlines Rumored To Be Looking? posted Tue Oct 3 2006 20:06:04 by 87GROUNDED
|LGA Central Terminal To Be Replaced posted Tue Oct 3 2006 19:00:49 by RJpieces
|Aer Lingus To Be Privatised Today posted Wed Sep 27 2006 08:37:24 by Toulouse
|Swiss European Pilot To Be On Strike! posted Tue Sep 26 2006 08:15:08 by Lsgg


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AES News
- Early Registration Pricing for AES Paris Convention Extended to May 26 — Expanded Exhibits Hall and Tech Program Offerings for Free and Premium Badges
- Early Registration Pricing for AES Paris Convention Extended to May 26
- AES to Hold First International Conference on Audio for Virtual and Augmented Reality – Paper Proposal Deadline Extended to May 23rd
- Conference to focus on AR/VR creative process, applications workflow and product development
- AES Opens Early Registration and Discounted Pricing for 140th International Convention in Paris, June 4 – 7
- FREE "Exhibits-Plus" Badge and premium "All Access" Badge options now available online for Europe's largest pro audio event of the year
- The Audio Engineering Society Launches AES Live Online Video Collection
- Exclusive videos featuring interviews with past, present and future leaders of our industry
Standards Blog
AES Press Release: AES San Francisco 2010
Robert Margouleff Keynote Speaker For 129th AES Convention
For Release: September 21, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO: The 129th AES Convention will open with a bang on Thursday, Nov. 4, when veteran engineer/producer and studio owner Robert Margouleff presents the event's Keynote Address at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Margouleff will bring his unique perspective of more than 40 years working in pro audio in an address titled "What The Hell Happened?" He plans to examine the influence of fast-paced technological developments on creativity – both for better and for worse – and the creative artist's needs in a technological world.
"Yes, we've had a digital revolution in music and film, shifting power away from a few big companies and toward greater access," says Margouleff. "But we must not forget the importance of collaboration among talented artists, engineers and business people that built an entertainment industry that changed the world."
Co-winner (with Malcolm Cecil), of the 1974 Best Engineered Album Non Classical Grammy for Stevie Wonder's Innervisions, Margouleff has has worked with such major artists as: Devo, David Sanborn, The Isley Brothers, Billy Preston and of course, Stevie Wonder. He now owns Mi Casa Multimedia Studios in Hollywood with partner Brant Biles. For the past 12 years, the studio has been a leader in surround audio for home theater, providing 5.1 and 7.1 mixing and mastering for hundreds of major DVD and Blu-ray releases and restorations. They are pioneering the use of 7.1 to enhance the 3-D experience in home theatre. Recent credits include: The restoration and 7.1 mix of The Sound Of Music, Six of the James Bond films, Hellboy, Rush Hour and the complete Lord Of The Rings cycle.
"We are extremely pleased to have Bob Margouleff address the 129th AES Convention," said AES Executive Director Roger Furness. "He is an articulate and outspoken member of our community with an impressive track record and a unique perspective on the technological evolution which continues to impact on our lives."
Photo: AES 129th Convention Keynote Speaker Robert Margouleff
Photo by Cheryl Fleming Photography: http://www.cherphotos.com
For detailed information on the 129th AES Convention please visit: http://www.aes.org/events/129/
The Audio Engineering Society was formed in 1948 by a group of concerned audio engineers. The AES counts over 14,000 members throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Far East. The organization serves as the pivotal force in the exchange and dissemination of technical information for the industry. For additional information visit http://www.aes.org


text: Christmas is almost here and as you're checking your list to make sure you got a gift for everyone, don't forget the dog in your life. Maggie Mae loves Christmas—there's so many presents to sniff and rip into. She can barely contain herself on Christmas morning, she's like a little kid. Every year we fill Maggie's stocking with gifts and every year there are only a few gifts she continuously plays with. So many of her toys just sit in her toy box unused. To help you pick a gift that your pet will love, here are three gifts that Maggie loves. 1. Water bottle toy I don't know why but my dog is obsessed with plastic water bottles—she will stalk you if she sees you have a bottle. And clearly, as seen in the picture above, she gets very possessive of her water bottles. I thought this was just a weird Maggie habit, but apparently most dogs love water bottles. This adorable Cow Water Bottle Cruncher is an adorable stuffed animal with a water bottle inside it. Maggie has a similar one except hers is a fox. She loves stuffed animals, so having a water bottle in a stuffed animal is almost too much for her to handle. And the great thing is that you can replace the water bottle once your dog has crunched it down. So this gift won't be broken an hour after your dog opens it. 2. Beef bones Maggie can't talk—obviously—but I'm pretty sure this is her favourite toy. She has about five of them and often has them all out at the same time because apparently one bone at a time isn't enough. The beef bones are filled with turkey, which is a yummy treat. But the great thing is it takes forever for the dog to get all the turkey out so they're entertained for hours as they gnaw away at the bone—I mean look at her face in the photo, that's some serious concentration. 3. A dog bed Maggie likes the life of luxury and so she loves her comfy bed. She sleeps there every night and often naps there too. Plus the great thing about giving your dog a bed, is they won't sleep in yours any more. I love my dog, but she's a bed hog, so she needs her own bed. And if you're looking for accessories for your dog bed, Maggie is a fan of her Harry Potter blanket. Above she's resting on her bed with her blanket and pillow. Yes she's high maintenance. Happy shopping, hopefully your dog is happy on Christmas morning. What do you get your dog for Christmas? You might also like:Watch this dog sing along to Adele's "Hello" National Puppy Day promotes adoption, not buy... Dogs versus Cats: Who wins on the Internet? What you need to know about adopting a specia... Cute pet videos to get you through Monday


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Teachers and their students may explore the Museum's exhibitions either with a Museum guide or independently.
Appointments are required of all school groups visiting the Museum.
Tours are based on objects and themes reflected in the museum's collections and exhibitions.
10:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
1 hour
Maximum 40 participants
Discover the National Museum of African Art with us! Bring your students to tour one of our exciting exhibitions and learn about the museum's unique architecture. We're underground! Examine objects and ideas through a variety of age-appropriate activities. Our guides use imaginative strategies to help students learn focused looking, and they tailor their tour to the needs of specific themes, grades, and ages. Touchable objects available upon request.
Please choose from our exhibitions, or for further information, visit our website to prepare for your class trip or book a group tour. Tours are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Imagine Form And Function
African Mosaic: Selections from the Permanent Collection
Learn about design and the form and function of objects in the permanent collection by exploring the exhibition and drawing in the gallery with your students. Drawing materials available upon request.
Six activities for use in the classroom or at home, can be found here.
Museum representatives also travel to classrooms, community groups or senior centers to introduce audiences to African art.
Studio Africa
Since 2007, the Studio Africa Project has served DC Public Schools in connecting its students to African art and culture. Studio Africa is a yearlong program aimed to provide educational, cultural and artistic experiences on Africa for elementary students that will enable them to understand the continents varied geography, cultures, languages and people.
The education process is fostered by monthly hands-on art workshops led by museum staff, and dance and music demonstrations and performances led by professional musicians and dancers. Studio Africa is a partnership between the National Museum of African Art and the Links, Incorporated (Potomac Chapter).


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AncestryDNA™ is one of the most advanced autosomal DNA tests on the market, but that doesn't mean our job is done. We are constantly working to improve our genetic ethnicity prediction models by deciphering the unique language of the human genome and employing some of the top geneticists and latest technology to help determine what it can tell us.
Before AncestryDNA, ethnic origins were largely a breakdown of continental ethnicities. Most of us, however, don't need a genetic test to determine whether we are European, African, or Asian. So, we challenged ourselves to push the boundaries of the science and attempt a more granular ethnic breakdown, especially within Europe.
Below is a map showing the detailed ethnicity coverage of AncestryDNA.
Why are we one of the first to launch a product that breaks down ethnic origins beyond the continental level? Simply put, it is very difficult. Europeans, Africans, and Asians are genetically very distinct. However, it is not as easy to ethnically distinguish between a British, a German and a French person, and it is especially difficult to decipher the ethnicity of an individual with ancestry from all three or some other comparable mixture.
The Language of Genetic Ethnicity
Piecing the Puzzle Together
Now imagine the same puzzle, but instead of English, Chinese and Arabic, the books are written in English, French and German. In this case, it is clearly more difficult to discern where one language ends and another begins, since all three use mostly the same basic alphabet. We must then rely on three basic strategies to distinguish the languages. First, the frequency of certain letters that appears to be used more or less frequently in French, English and German. Second, the relative position of letters, such as the combination of letters "ch," "sch,"and "ing." Third, letters such as "ç","ß," and "ü" which are unique to certain languages. As you can see in the graph below, even though the languages are different, the frequency of the letters used in all three languages is relatively consistent. Therefore, most of the letters are of little use in distinguishing the languages.
Frequency of letter usage across three languages
There is one more important point to make—we don't have a dictionary! That's right, there is no genetic dictionary that tells us the frequency of the letters, the relative position of the letters, or even the unique letters that occur in different European populations. AncestryDNA is building this genetic dictionary by analyzing the genetic signatures of people who have a long cultural history in a specific country or region, have spoken a certain language, and practiced a single religion. Once we have the genetic sequences, our team of Ph.D scientists in genetics, bioinformatics, machine learning, and statistics work to find clues that help us distinguish genetic ethnicity and provide our customers their ethnic make-ups.
The European Challenge
The good news is that the genetic ethnicity prediction is working, albeit with some challenges. Central Europeans present the most significant difficulty, especially the French, Germans, and Dutch. With few geographic barriers and extensive human population movement, their genetic signatures are very similar and difficult to distinguish. The British Isles and Scandinavia are more genetically distinct, but their signatures partially overlap with each other, as well as with parts of Central Europe. All of this makes it difficult to assign predicted ethnicities. So, let's say your German ancestry doesn't seem to be showing up in your DNA ethnicity results or it seems like you're getting a bit too much Scandinavian, know that the ethnicity prediction can be updated over time as we make advancements in this area.
This is just one example of why the ethnicity prediction portion of the AncestryDNA test is continually evolving. We are using the largest set of DNA reference samples from around the world and deeper genetic coverage in order to find those unique "letters" that will aid our analysis. In the meantime, we're excited to have our AncestryDNA customers be a part of the breakthroughs as we continue to improve our prediction algorithms. And as they evolve, we will send you updates as new findings are discovered. The AncestryDNA test could have easily predicted your continental ethnicity as European, Asian, or African, but why settle for results based on the status quo? As Michelangelo is quoted as saying, "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." It's one of the many benefits of AncestryDNA. So don't be surprised if your ethnicity results get updated over time. This is a good thing and it just means our science team is working hard to better your experience.
If you're interested in learning more about the new AncestryDNA, or would like to order a DNA test, you can click here.
40 Comments
When will customers be able to download their DNA information directly? I know it has been mentioned early 2013, but I was wondering if a date has been set.
From the Ancestry Aces Facebook page I do know that the skew towards Scandanavian ancestry seems to be a problem many people believe is occurring concerning their genetic ancestry determinations. I know my own 76% seems to be, well, 76% too high.
I expect that some Scandanavian ancestry might creep in; but when your ancestors come from Poland, Niedersachsen, Baden, Brabant, Luxembourg, Lorraine, Franche-Comte, and Ct Jura, one would expect at least some Central European ancestry to creep into the mix.
Instead I get 76% Scandanavian, 14% Persian/Turkish/Caucasus, and 10% Southern European. Not one designation commensurate with the locales that are known for my ancestors. Perhaps it is a deep ancestry in time that is showing through in my DNA mix; but one would intuite that there would be at least some congruence with ancestral locales.
It's understandable that 75% of my DNA would be 75% Eastern European, since three of my grandparents were born in Poland, and the fourth, of parents born in Poland. I would suppose the 25% Scandinavian comes from the many invasions, but I really expected a little bit of influence from either the east or west from other invasions. Having said that, I have two 5th to 8th cousin matches. The first, my grandfather and his grandmother came from the same little village in southern Poland. The second, we actually have three matching surnames from that same village. Why the first is "moderate confidence" and the second "low confidence", I have no idea. However, some of the many other matches, even though they are very distant, are ridiculous. I think the strangest so far is the 62% Western African, 24% Scandinavian, 6% South Asian, 8% uncertain. I've found at least a dozen almost as strange, all showing up on the Eastern European side. If "Europeans, Africans, and Asians are genetically very distinct" – it makes no sense to me. All the names on my tree are Polish. There is no way to make any connection to any of the names that come in on the Scandinavian side, so I hardly bother looking at them, but I do look forward to more updates and hopefully, further "matches".
I am truly having much difficulity understanding my DNA test results. I have had two DNA tests completed.
I guess I need some help.
I guess admitting it is the first step, now lets fix the problem with your AncestryDNA Ethnicity Prediction software.
Mine shows 31% european jewish but I don't of any matches yet. Seems odd that their wouldn't have been anyone that has European Jewish dna.
Although this dna comes as a shock to me.
I hope that 2013 brings some updates in our results. I appreciate your explanation – I never did expect to find links to the cities of my ancestor's births but I do still have trouble understanding how my 100% German-surnamed tree could result in 90% British Isles/10% Persian/Turkish/Caucasus. The British Isles seems like a "leap" – sorry, had to say that:)
Adding to my disappointment, with over 1250 matches, I've had zero confirmed/zero hints. There are 4 people with 96% confidence matches and healthy trees (like mine) but no common names or locations.
I'm hesitant to think of NPE's occurring from all sides of my family – I'll be patient and hope for an update.
Thank you for the interesting explanation. I thought the language analogy was particularly apt. It does seem that these predictions are in their infancy, and I'm sure they will improve in time. It would be a big help if you could provide us with some technical details about your test, and specifically details of the reference populations that you are using. I am particularly interested to know what you are using for your "British Isles" reference populations. I live in England and all my ancestors are from the UK going back for several hundred years. However, according to your test I am 25% British Isles, 58% Central European, 24% Eastern European and 4% uncertain. I've noticed that many of the Americans I match have much higher percentages of "British" than me, though often they only have a small percentage of documented British ancestry with a significant percentage of Continental European ancestry. Are you perhaps using reference populations that consist of Americans of British ancestry, which might explain the discrepancies?
Hi Stephen and Ken,
Very nice article! When might AncestryDNA be providing more details in regard to the specifics of the reference populations being used for the Genetic Ethnicity tool?
Thank you.
I appreciate the finetuning of your DNA process. However I almost feel like my results may have been a mixup. 40% Scandinavian when I only have one relative several generations back and 10% Eastern European when I have none in my ancestry is strange. Also I have many German ancestors on both sides for generations yet no German ethnic results. How can that be? Should I try another test?
Before getting this test done, people should really educate themselves a little on how DNA is passed down from your ancestors to you and also how the science of DNA analysis/deciphering works.
I appreciated the article, and will spend more time going over it. It is likely I am not understanding the whole autosomal DNA process. My test results showed 71% Scandinavian, 17% Southern European, 10% Eastern European, and 2% uncertain. My mother is 100% Scandinavian, so that part of it fits. But 71%? My paternal grandmother came from Czechloslavakia – hence Eastern European I guess. They were German. But I have no southern European. Basically, I have worked on my grandfather's family tree for 30 years. I KNOW where these people came from! They were of English origin, and some German – none of which show up in DNA results. Way too much Scandinavian, absolutely no German or English at all??? I have often wondered if I got the right results.
I think this was a great explanation and I enjoyed reading it and sharing it on Facebook. At first I was a bit shocked that there was no discernible or definitive Central European in my DNA results, BUT I do have 7% uncertain. I'm looking forward to the day when my uncertain will come into focus. The other percentages – 70% British Isles, 15% Eastern European and 8% West African are more or less correct.
The language analogy was a great one to use. I'm hopeful that as ethnicity predictions continue to be revised that they will coincide better with the genealogical information in my trees. I am also curious as to the amount (if any) of the SMGF data that is used in the ethnicity prediction. It would be nice to have a better understanding of the reference populations being used. Keep up the great work!
The language analogy was a great one to use. I'm hopeful that as ethnicity predictions continue to be revised that they will coincide better with the genealogical information in my trees. I am also curious as to the amount (if any) of the SMGF data that is used in the ethnicity prediction. It would be nice to have a better understanding of the reference populations being used. Keep up the great work!
I believed I was part of an ongoing experiment – to build a body of knowledge and learn a bit about myself and my heritage if I was very lucky. I am pleased that, as more becomes known, the results of my test may be changed to reflect the increased learning. What an exciting time to be part of family history:-)
I am 50% Italian and 25% Hispanic. I have traced my ancestors living in southern italy back to the early-1700's. My DNA results came back ZERO PERCENT Southern European but 42% Central European and 21% Turkish/Persian. I understand that there was a lot of migration in Europe during the last thousand years but having no Southern European DNA makes me doubt the results.
My dad is 100% Italian, with his grandparents all being from the same Ligurian mountain comune. So I should be 50% southern European or thereabouts–because half my genetic makeup is from him (and there is a blue-eyed line, this is outside Genoa, though they are NOT sailors). I came back at 11% southern European, 9% unknown. How is that possible? (And fyi, I very much resemble my dad, and people notice!). I am not that surprised that no German showed up because you only inherit 50% from each parent. But I got 74% British Isles, 11% southern European, 9% unknown, and 6% Scandinavian. I expected 50% southern European (Italian), 20% BI, 10% central European (German)–with possible a touch of Scandinavian or Eastern European. How off it is really confuses me.
This was not what I expected at all no matches anywhere???
To be honest, it is still confusing for me after reading the article. But I learned some new stuffs thought.. Will definitely try this DNA test later.
I had my DNA done and it pretty much matched. I was excited to get back my son's DNA and that is where it got interesting. His father's side is directly from Ireland and Sicily so I excepted to see that along with some mixture of mine. However, instead he had Scandanavian and Persian along with my European side. I was concerned the results where right and so I called. I was reminded that these results may not show your most current ethnic backgrounds but may go way back. When I started looking up the history of northern Ireland, I found that the Vikings were a major presence there for a long time. Way before we started recording anything. The same with Sicily. It was a major strategic area in that area when the Greeks, Romans, Turks, Persians and Moors where fighting over land. So when I dug deeper, it does make sense. I have learned that you have to know the history of the area you are researching and to remember that the country borders that we know today are really not what they used to be.
As far as matches, I have found one direct match and I have connected a couple of distant matches. Again, I feel the results are correct, I just think that the connections are farther back than we have researched.
Exactly Cheryl!!!!
People need to research these areas before they jump to the conclusions that the DNA is wrong. They also need to know how the DNA actually works….. Every piece of DNA your parents have, does not get passed down & cut in half in you. My mother has DNA that I dont have, & DNA is different in siblings as well. You can also carry DNA that is inactive in you, but may become active in your child. For example neither of my parents have an uncertain, but I do. You also can have a higher percentage of something than your parent has. They say it takes about 6 children, for all of a persons DNA to get passed down.
If you are confused, Call the ancestryDNA support, they have been educated & can answer these questions. They made me understand things that I didnt know before.
I can no longer see the "Ethnicity" data for my matches. What is going on?
I can see how DNA can be used for making ID info for solving much in todays matching for cases of modern reasons such as in criminal activity? As for ancestory back to creation that may need much more done yet. Especially when so many believe by faith in a Father Son & Holy GHOST SPIRIT SOUL. HIS written Word from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Today almost all accept all the 62 Books Of the Holy Bible Genesis-Malachi + Matthew Mark Luke &John with Joseph Mary,Peter Paul Abraham Sarah Hagar Isaac Ishmael Jacob Esau. JOHNS REVELATION.OF Jesus Christ Cross Gospel.+
"Before getting this test done, people should really educate themselves a little on how DNA is passed down from your ancestors to you and also how the science of DNA analysis/deciphering works."
Well said Mark.
Further: "Sizing Up the Family Gene Pool" should be read; http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/magazine/ethicist-dna.html?_r=0.
"A Government Accountability Office investigation into so-called direct-to-consumer genetic testing found inaccurate results and exaggerated claims about how much those results could really tell you. One expert declared the testing so inaccurate that, when it came to medical inquiry, "the most accurate way for these companies to predict disease risks would be for them to charge consumers $500 for DNA and family-medical-history information, throw out the DNA and then make predictions based solely on the family-history information."
"As for the privacy issue, your concern is well founded. Many of these companies do use customers' data for medical research or commercial applications, or they sell it to third parties whose interests you might never know. Legally they can't do that without your consent, but the fine print on those consent forms goes by so quickly that it can be hard to follow."
So here is a question. I was adopted at birth. I know my maternal side but I have little information on my paternal side. Many of my DNA matches make sense as they appear on the maternal side of my tree. But these results make me question the validity of the DNA matches: (1) are some of the DNA hits I'm getting, that don't appear to have any connection to my tree, possibly those of my birth father's family? and (2) Some DNA matches/hits appear on my adopted family's tree where I have no biological connection at all – so the DNA matches to that tree seem to prove that the results aren't reliable.
Any insight?
Sorry, my results were less than satisfactory. Okay, the Vikings were a highly mobile and prolific bunch, but I think the %'s quoted are extremely high, certainly for my profile. The other two geographic areas for mine were certainly plausible, but actually gave no "ethnic" information, as many ethnic groups lived or passed through the geographic areas. And no mention of any Native American background, even though my NA heritage has been researched and documented by several different individuals and genealogists.
A person with a possible 5-8 cousin was e-mailed for my review. When I looked they had 69% British Isles and 31% Scandinavian and no uncertain %.
My per centages are 83% Eastern European and 12% Central European and uncertain is 5%.
Does this possible match suggest my uncertain percentage may consist of one of both of her Genetic Ethnicity?
[…] how DNA and family history come together. Check out this recent blog post that discusses how DNA works and some of the challenges we are constantly working on to advance the […]
So when do we get to decipher the 700,000 snps of our DNA?
I already knew the ethnicity of my parents, grandparents and great grandparents. I wanted to know more about the ancestors from Germany and Ireland. Where did they come from and how long ago?
Would it be wiser for me to study Anthropology?
Could you provide a higher resolution version of the ethnicity map you show here that includes all the ethnicity classes that you test for? The map is very grainy and impossible to even read the labels. When I click on it to bring up a better view, I just get redirected to my genetic test results page. There I only get to see the two ethnicity areas that came up in my own test.
I am upset about my results because I have a 3rd grandmother who was from California and Mexico from 1850-1930. From my understanding of Mexican history, shouldn't there be ethnic diversity in my test? No, no reference to anything Latino-Hispanic. My great-grandfather was a full blooded Mikmaq Canadian. Is there any mention of Native American? No. Ancestry.com probably didn't even know that NorthEastern Native American fit haplo group q but are genetically distinct from all other Natives in the US and Canada. My Italian grandma, English-Scottish heritage, They got the Swedish 2nd great grandma but rumors are suggesting Ancestry.com can't miss that one. Irish roots didn't show and I know I'm not as French as my bro's dad but my results said Central European, Scandinavian, unsure. What!? That's all, huh? Considering my dad's background has some French but they said I was really Central European, and I have to wonder, where's the British, Irish, Italian, Native American, Latino, in these results. They tried to feed me some line about how I inherit DNA. Oh, so I'm of all things simply Central European and Scandinavian. OK, they are flubbed results, they are screwing us into buying crap and then who knows what with our genetic information. If a lawsuit opens up I'm jumping on that bandwagon, Ancestry.
I fell victim to the discounted rate for the DNA test earlier this year by not fully researching the type of test it was. I personally do not care what my ethnic background is, I just want to trace the individuals in my family history, where ever that may lead. I should have taken the test for Males only to help confirm connections on my father's line that some others claim connection to. I can't see how ethnicity can help with this. The only connection I have confirmed with the autosomal test is one of my first cousins and our percentages aren't even close. The only thing I can figure there is that the differences must have come from our mother's.
Well both my parents are from Latin American countries but my test put me at 45 %Native American 35% European mostly Eastern Europe with only 8% Southern European! !! 7% West African and 13% Unknown? !
I just received my results for the AncestryDNA test and was very shocked to see that I am 50% scandinavian, 21% southern european, 13% central european, 11% eastern european. I was very surprised to see that I had no British Isles with a confirmed British/Irish pedigree. I know that these percentages may change with new discoveries but I would advise everyone to do some research in the history of Europe. England and Ireland were invaded by the vikings and danes and that may absolutely explain my 50% scandinavian heritage. One of my genetic matches is solving a mystery in my family of an adoption, turns out my g grandfather may not have been adopted by taken in by his natural father. Am looking forward to new discoveries and grateful for this new technology.
Like most people here I was surprised and doubtful when I first saw my results. All of my lines go back to germany, holland and france at least 200 years, but I only had 18% central european. But when I thought about it and did some research I could accept the eastern european, scandinavian and even the persian-turkish due to my dad's mother, but I'm still at odds with 25% british isles. There is no one in my family that came from there, at least 200 years back. I think that dna probably was confused with my german DNA since the central european is so low. Its fun though and I'm excited to see the updates.
The Ethnicity V 2.0 Ancestry has just released has a "White Paper" on the development and procedure of ethnicity predictions. You can find it on your DNA homepage by clicking on the red question mark found on the get help section of your results. Although not written in standard scientific journal format, it explains how exactly this re-evaluation of ethnicity was done. Ignore the math, but if you have a good science background you should be able to get something out of it and understand why predicting ethnicity is so difficult and ever-changing, and will continue to be so.
Whoops. The question mark is on your main Ethnicity Estimate page. Upper right corner,
I can imagine that I have some Scandinavian DNA as a large number of my ancestors came from England and Ireland but my results show 28% Scandinavian with only 5% British and Irish. I have about 6% Pensylvania German ancestry along with about 2% Dutch. Nothing appeared in my DNA to account for either of these groups. The Pennsylvania Dutch come from three separate families.
I attempted to download my raw data to try some of the other software that is available but was unable to do so. The Ancestry.com representative said that this was a known issue and they were working on it. They have apparently been working on it for more than a month and a half. Perhaps they should hire one of the local high school kids to solve this. It is clearly beyond their capability.


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Tomcat 7 does not support the RequestDumperValve that was available Tomcat 6 and earlier.
What is its recommended replacement in Tomcat 7?
And to answer my own question, more extensive Googling came up with this:
As an addendum to the original answer, here is a little bit more detail. It isn't fully clear how to get this configured and actually dumping to a file unless you are familiar with the way the logging.properties file is set up in Tomcat 7. Here is how I was able to get the dumper working:
a. Add the request dumper file handler to the list of handlers
b. Add in the appropriate file handling code for the request-dumper log file
I believe the key step is adding in your reference to the "handlers" list. If you just add in the section with the logging configuration it doesn't appear to pick up the changes and create the file.
Thank you for your interest in this question.
Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site.
Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?


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Images: 120th Fighter Wing Detachment 1 [Image 5 of 6]
Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Eric Peterson
120th Fighter Wing Detachment 1 Commander Lt. Col. James Bong readies his aircraft prior to his training flight in a Montana Air National Guard F-15 Eagle at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Dec. 5, 2012. National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Eric Peterson.
This work, 120th Fighter Wing Detachment 1 [Image 1 of 6], by SMSgt Eric Peterson, identified by DVIDS, is free of known copyright restrictions under U.S. copyright law.
Date Taken:12.05.2012
Date Posted:12.14.2012 10:28
Photo ID:801313
Size:715.79 KB
Location:JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HI, US
Gallery Images
Associated News
MTANG completes Hawaii alert mission


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Top Green Products Found at Greenbuild 2011 in Toronto
Modlet plugs into any 120 outlet to monitor and transmit energy usage data to your home computer. Its an easy, inexpensive ways to track your efficiency habit using software supplied by Modlet's manufacturer ThinkEco.
Construction Specialties have partnered
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Monday, June 17, 2013
So, I've been think about the fact that I need to lose a little over 150 pounds. If I lose an average of 1 pound a week, which seem to be what I do, It will take about three years! That is very daunting, might as well break out the candy bars! But then, four things occurred to me:
First: If I don't do something about my weight, will I be here in three years? Morbidly obese means so fat you could die. I have a lot I want to be here for in the next three years and beyond. My son is getting married this year and it is possible I'll finally be a grandma within the next three years. I hate to miss that. I hate to miss all the wonderful thing that are yet to be!
Second: I'm tired, and why wouldn't I be, I'm carrying around the equivalent of my next door neighbor every where I go! I'm sure my heart, lungs knees and poor feet would be very thankful if I set that other person worth of weight down!
Third: If I'm going to be living the next three years anyway, why not live them health? It really isn't that hard to eat good for me food, to exercise a bit more, and give up the foods that end up making me feel bad anyway. The momentary high of junk food is always followed by the hated crash, both physical and emotional, why put myself through that for another three years.
Fourth: By living healthy for the next three years, I'm learning how to live healthy for the rest of my life! In three years I will be sixty, and would love to be able to do all the things I can't now. I would love to go hiking and travel with my husband. To be fit and able to spend the day walking around the zoo or park without have to sit down every few steps.
Three years start today, and I'm ready, lets go!
Five things that make me happy: the beautiful golden wing butterfly that landed on my flower as I was watering them, watching the chickens run around the yard just being chickens, picking the first squash of the summer, spending Father's Day with the soon to be in-laws, hugs.
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You are so right, why not live them in health. 1 lb a week? In 1 year, you will weigh 50 lbs less. Did you know that for every 1 lb you lose, you take 4 lbs of pressure off your joints? Think of the good you will be doing for your knees. Think of all the extra pressure they carry around right now. At 25 lbs weight loss, that is 100 lbs of pressure off of your knees. You can do this and you can do it without making drastic changes. Drink more water. Eat more fruits and veggies. Move more. More calories out/less calories in. You have come to the right place and with the right attitude you can manage this!
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New Zealand opener Martin Guptill struck a four off the final ball of the match en route to a quickfire century, resigning South Africa to an eight-wicket defeat in Sunday's second Twenty20 International in East London.
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill struck a four off the final ball of the match en route to a quickfire century, resigning South Africa to an eight-wicket defeat in Sunday's truncated second Twenty20 International in East London.
A fixture reduced to 19 overs per side by a floodlight failure at Buffalo Park ultimately treated the 15,000-strong sellout crowd to a genuine spectacle, with Guptill's heroics levelling the three-match affair ahead of Wednesday's series decide.
Hapless at Kingsmead, the tourists put in a much tighter effort in the field, with captain Brendon McCullum's decision to bowl first after winning the toss proving vital. The Proteas struggled with a damp ball during the opposition's pursuit, coughing up a slew of full tosses, which Guptill and company were reasonably quick to cash in on.
The hosts' total was built on the back of half-centuries from opener Henry Davids and captain Faf du Plessis, who were particularly severe on a visiting attack lined with bits and pieces all-rounders. The left-handed David Miller, too, cherished the substandard nature of the bowling, launching into a 33-run cameo that spanned a mere 18 deliveries.
The Black Caps took a lot of confidence from fast bowler Doug Bracewell's three wickets in the last over of the innings, though, which eventually translated to success with the bat - almost entirely finalised by Guptill's gargantuan effort.
Having recovered from the bout of gastroenteritis that ruled him out of the first T20I, Guptill promptly resumed his lead role at the top of the knock. In partnership with fellow opener Rob Nicol he was outstanding, in cahoots with skipper Brendon McCullum he was simply fantastic.
Key to Guptill's success was his ability to strike the ball straight, through its line and hard over the fence for all of six sixes. Nine boundaries, meanwhile, complemented his epic vigil.
Very severe on debutant spinner Aaron Phangiso, who copped expensive figures of none for 42 in four overs, Guptill's knock was arguably the most well constructed of the year. McCullum, who eventually perished for an uncharacteristically timid 17, played second fiddle throughout their 73-run alliance in one delivery more than seven overs.
Seamer Rory Kleinveldt was entrusted with the final six balls of the cliffhanger. Under much more pressure than that brought by his match-winning performance in Durban, the right-armer failed to rise above adversity. Conceding just seven runs from the first five, Kleinveldt ultimately coughed up a rank full toss for Guptill to slice through the covers - and with that the nail-biter was decided.
Utterly jubilant in his celebration of the winning runs, and only T20I cricket's ninth century, Guptill was proudly named Man of the Match for his unbeaten 101 from just 69 deliveries.
South Africa, however, were left to contemplate an off day in the field, which saw the otherwise reliable Robin Peterson spill a chance in the point region and the oft-trusty Farhaan Behardien shell an opportunity at deep backward square-leg. For McCullum and company, it was sweet relief - and a certain turn up in the books at the start of a tour they were expected to flounder through.


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Although the conceptis hardly new - for years organizations have created detailed SLAs fortelecommunications and consulting - the emergence of Web sites, intranets, andhosted software and services has clearly added a new wrinkle to the equation.
"As a greaternumber of companies turn to outsourcing key systems and software, there's agreater degree of risk," notes Kneko Burney, director of e-businessinfrastructure and services at Cahners In-Stat Group, a Scottsdale, Arizona,market research and consulting firm. "If a service fails, it can provedevastating to the business. It can cost a company a lot of money and endangerthe relationship with business partners and customers."
The service-levelagreement can protect both sides in what is usually a complex business deal."The reality is that there's no such thing as 100 percent availabilitybecause no fail-safe system exists. But a company must know with a high degreeof certainty that it can conduct business online and that it isn't going toincur constant interruptions or performance problems," says Greg Blatnick,vice president at market research firm Zona Research, Redwood City, California.
A September 2000survey conducted by Zona Research found that ASP service-level agreementstypically focus on guaranteed uptime, guaranteed bandwidth, guaranteedapplication performance, SLA indemnification, and interapplication communicationguarantees.
A companycontracting with an outside provider must pay close attention to the details andintricacies of the business arrangement, says Burney. For example, what appearsto be a guarantee of 99.9 percent uptime might not be. "The provider mightguarantee that their service will be running 99.9 percent of the time, but ifthe backbone goes down or a company's ISP fails, they might be off thehook."
According to Burney,it's crucial to define terms and conditions up front. Using exact measures anddictating specific remedies and actions can prevent conflicts and confusionlater on. In most cases, the service provider should guarantee backboneperformance and bandwidth; if it experiences a problem, it should addressremediation with its own providers rather than leave a customer marooned.
Most SLAs dictatethat the ASP, ISP, or hosting service cover only the direct costs associatedwith downtime or performance lags. A few offer escalating penalties that aretacked on to the credit for the monthly fee. Of course, all this necessitates asystem in place to actually measure performance.
"At the end of theday, it's the customer that feels the burden and who feels the pain if an ASPor other outsourced service fails to meet requirements," says Dave Boulanger,service director for consulting firm AMR Research. Nevertheless, he believesthat organizations must understand their own needs and acknowledge thatoutsourcing technology really comes down to a partnership, where both companiesmust work together to solve problems. "It's not as simple as a traditionaloutsourced agreement," he notes. "There are many more variables and issuesto deal with."
Workforce, February 2001, Vol80, No 2, p. 52 Subscribe Now!


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Gail McArthur-Browne
"A lot of first-semester students are either away from home for the first time or in a foreign country for the first time, and it's a very daunting place for a lot of them. Some of them feel quite lost and very unsettled. I'm always there to listen, if they need someone to talk to, and I talk about what my experience was like coming from Scotland. I arrived at Logan airport with two suitcases and my saxophone, terrified out of my mind—I didn't know anybody in the whole continent—but then coming up Mass. Ave. in the cab and seeing that sign, Berklee College of Music, that was like winning the lottery."
"I have had a lot of bad experiences as a woman musician, a lot of resistance. Especially older men have a problem with it—they think that because you're a woman you're supposed to be married and having children and you've got no business being on the bandstand. But a lot of time I've found that once they realize that you're really serious about what you do and once they hear you play, then they kind of warm to you. I've had some horrible experiences just because I'm a female, but I've never let it tarnish my picture of other musicians, whether they be male or female. I just try and present myself in the best possible light and work to everyone's strong points."
"I think a lot of the time, especially when you're on stage, there's a double standard. If you're not glamorous, they think there's something wrong with you. If you're too glamorous, they think there's something wrong with you. I played in this band, and they said to me, 'We know you can play, but that's not what you're here for; you're here for the sex appeal. So you have to wear short dresses.' Now that I'm a little bit older I'm not as sensitive, and I just take everything with a bit of a pinch of salt and try to put some humor into the situation and make them see how ridiculous they're being."
"I've never experienced anything like that at Berklee. Not as a student, not as a faculty member, never. Everybody here recognizes that everybody else is here because they want to be a musician. That's something that I think makes Berklee really unique, because in the real world, sure as fate, at some point, you encounter it. Especially coming from Scotland; it's a very macho society. Even when I go home now I still get a lot of it. I just tell them straight out, 'You've got a problem. I'm not the problem; you're the problem.' And they think I'm very Americanized."
- B.M., Berklee College of Music
- Leader of the Gail McArthur Quartet
- Performances with Don Cherry, Benny Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Grover Washington, Jackie McLean, Ed Jackson, Ian Froman, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Christian McBride, Danny Gottlieb, Mark Soskin, Maria Schneider, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, and Vital Information
- Commissions for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, 1999 and 2001
- Recipient of awards from the Scottish Arts Council, Arts Trust for Scotland, Scottish International Education Awards, and Cosmopolitan/American Express


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They've been making Pompeii movies for more than a century now — there was an Italian version in 1913 — and whether they've been in black and white or color, silent or sound, these pictures all have one thing in common: the KA-BOOM!
Judged strictly in terms of KA-BOOM(!), "Pompeii" certainly delivers the goods.
It's got it all. Gigantic explosions. Massive pyroclastic flows. Lava bombs cannonading down on the stricken city. Ash-cloud-induced darkness at noon.
Falling masonry. Screaming hundreds running for their lives. Even a tsunami. Look out folks! Here comes a trireme washing down Main Street.
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The place can't catch a break when Vesuvius blows its stack.
All elements of the ancient catastrophe are rendered with the most up-to-the-minute CG technology. So the special effects are first rate. The story they serve, not so much.
But that's par for the course. Sword-and-sandal epics like "Pompeii" are almost by definition economy-sized chunks of cheese. And director Paul W.S. Anderson is a cheesemeister extraordinaire.
The man who has gifted the world with multiple iterations of the "Resident Evil" zombie romps along with "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" and "Mortal Kombat" is the perfect choice for a project of this kind.
What he dishes up here is the story of a boy, a girl and a volcano. He (Kit Harington) is a hunky slave gladiator from far-off Britannia. She (Emily Browning) is a demure plump-lipped sweetie from a noble family.
They're just a couple of crazy kids from different worlds who go gaga for each other from the first Significant Glance they exchange. And, oh, there are ever so many such glances exchanged.
They're a pretty pair but a little lacking in the personality department. Overcompensating for that is Kiefer Sutherland playing a sneering Roman senator so evil he should really have been allowed to cultivate a Snidely Whiplash mustache so he could twirl the ends of it.
First, he puts the lad's family to the sword. Later, he demands the hand of the unwilling lass in marriage.
And at the end, which is supposed to be heartbreakingly poignant, there were titters and snickers from the audience at the advanced screening I attended.
Lava bombs away, folks.
Soren Andersen: email@example.com