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My wife and I have just received the results of our DNA tests. I can now say that this exercise has been the most disappointing waste of time and effort we can remember. The results lack detail, are unprofessional and are clearly inaccurate. A few colourful 'blobs' on a map of Europe with percentages hardly constitute a satisfactory an comprehensive response to what is undoubtedly a fascinating new field of research.
Is this ALL? Or was something missed out? How were these results arrived at? Where is the analysis? No details are provided at all! And who can one communicate with about the results? There appear to be no adequate facilities within the MyHeritage website to enquire about or explore the process through which the DNA results were arrived at.
I for one have many North and West European ancestors and can even trace my ancestry back directly to William the Conqueror (my 24th great grandfather!). And yet there is no 'blob' in that part of the map in my results. But, stangely enough, there is one East Europe, which is another mystery as that region is not supported by any of the percentages provided alongside the map! So, what is happening here? Can anyone explain?
I intended to write this appraisal to MyHeritage but, as a can find no adequate response channel for my email, in desperation I have posted it in this Forum in the hope that others who may have had similar experiences with their DNA kit results may be able to explain how they managed to squeeze any more information out of the system! Or am I the only one who has been disappointed?!
Thanks for considering this. I look forward to seeing it soon ! (LOL) Marlowe
I didn't receive any notification regarding my DNA package.
I have checked the DHL tracking = GM295331895000773903
And last record = EXCEPTION.
Where is my package?
Did'n see any telephone and other information in DHL syte (GLOBAL).
This is not on historical location - Europe: a location changed the country/state.
But there are are location>state>country which never exited. They are simply wromg !
What is the basis for those locations ?
another DNA site I am on lists "the people you have in common with this person" which is a handy way of seeing who shares my DNA with my cousin.
Could that feature be added to MyHeritage?
The other feature that I would like even more is an easy way to see who does not have DNA in common with me and my cousin. This is so that I can help narrow down a missing link in my family.
Would that be possible?
Thank you,
Is there any way to get a printable copy of my Ethnicity Estimate (DNA) results?
My wife gave me the kit soshe can give me the results on my birthday, in a frame.
I would like to allow users I approve to have rights to see all events and details and edit all persons they are RELATED to. Of coarse this means they need to in the database.
If I currently give a user rights to edit, they can edit all persons in my tree....not good.....they should only be able to edit persons they are related to.
I think general users should be able to view just basic details and not be able to view every attached record or event.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Just as I sent in on the Smart Matches I have the same complaint with the Record Matches
I waste a lot of time checking record matches only to find that I have already confirmed them at some point in the past.
If they were bright orange when new and brown when confirmed it would eliminate this annoyance.
Back to orange if a new record match becomes available.
I can't begin to calculate how much time I have wasted checking Smart Matches only to find that I have already confirmed them at some point in the past. A new Smart Match and an old Smart Match look exactly the same throughout my tree. This is very poor programming. If they went away once confirmed or rejected it would be better than what you have now, but it would not be my first choice.
I would much rather have them remain but with a color change to see at a glance if they are new or old.
Bright green when new, dark green when all are processed, either added or rejected.
Back to bright green if a new Smart Match becomes available
I brought this up with one of your people in a conversation on the phone back in late June or early July but have not seen anything change
When doing research it is very easy to forget which tree you are on, your own or one that you are a member of but not the site creator.
It's not uncommon to have several windows open to different sites to compare and copy information from another tree to my own.
Several times I have edited information only to find afterwards that I was editing the wrong site and that I changed someone elses tree by mistake.
The addition of a color banner at the top of the page to keep you informed of which tree you are on would go a long way to making sure people don't edit the wrong tree by mistake. Instead of the generic Grey banner you have now why not make it green for the home tree and a different color for the sites of which I am just a member? Green for my own, yellow for member sites and grey for sites I am just investigating?
I would even be in favor of changing the background of the main page from white to a very light green and yellow to make it that much more obvious.
I set up separate trees to make quick checks of people in different branches of the family. I also create temporary research trees to investigate a line I suspect might lead somewhere but want to keep isolated until sure.
The problems here are that anything I do on a separate tree ends up affecting my main tree. If I import photos into a temporary or research tree they end up in my photo album and I have to spend time deleting them.
I would like the ability to keep each of these totally isolated from the main tree and each other, people, biographies and pictures. Ideally they can look out and find matches, but nothing can look in and find matches. Until I export finished material out to my main tree they are in an isolated area that nothing can be taken out of by others.
I know I could just create a new login name and create the tree using that login but this is not an ideal solution for several reasons.
If I have more than one line of research going on do I create a new account for each one?
If only 1 out of 10 people were to do this it would end up creating how many new accounts on your site?
How many Smart Matches would be generated based on information in these trees, which by their very nature probably contain inaccurate information.
I started out with 121 DNA matches. I'm now up to 146 and there is no way to order them from new to old, or even tell which ones are new. I have to scroll through an ever increasing number of matches to find the new ones, assuming I will recognize it as new when I come to it.
If new matches were identified with a 'NEW' badge it would help tremendously. Better yet just put a date stamp on every match and let me order them as I want.
By Name
By number of people we both match
By degree of match (best first or best last)
By date match was recorded
By looked at or NOT looked at
By geographic area
The last would help to determine which side of the family the match is on. I.E. If Sweden my mothers side. Not perfect but any little hint helps.
To pay for a membership on this site is expensive, so expensive it's hard to even understand. It's a good product but honestly just because you have a good product on your hands does not mean the price should be sky high. Why would I pay for premium that gives basically nothing and it's sky high price, the other ones are way to expensive. I think the price is excluding many and I do know of a few, sometimes if you price a good product more affordable for people the amount you will sell compared to when it's expensive will get you more money and more products sold.
This site should review the pricing and what the so called cheapest option gives the customer. You are loosing out on customers here.
Dear MyHeritage staff
One product suggestion would be to allow the site manager to 'bold up' a specific linking line of choice that traces direct lineage backwards from child ---> parent ---> grandparent ---> great grandparent etc (excluding aunts/uncles/siblings etc).
I wonder if you might consider this - or is that too hard to do?
John Agar
The 5 generations limit in the tree display is too small. It would be very usefull to increase it or even to make a dynamic display where the tree would devellope automatically while scrolling.
Best regards.
Pierre Surmont
While using the site, I have come up with a couple of suggestions that would help me and hopefully others as well.
1. It would be very helpful if the Smart Match icon would change color if I have no pending matches. I find that I click on people I have already approved matches. Maybe as I get better at my research I will know who I have and haven't looked at.
2. The date format is different when doing a search in research. It is DAY - MONTH - YEAR. Every where else it is MONTH - DAY - YEAR. I know it is a little thing, but it is making my OCD crazy.
Thanks and keep up the good work.
Garry Kimbrell
It would be nice to be able to manage different name variants for individuals, since some names are spelled differently based on who and when wrote the record. For example it is typical that Johann, Joannes or Jan refer to the same name.
Currently MH supports definning religous name, original name, nickname and named after... None of these refer to the different name variants (nickname might be closest, but it really is not a nickname, same variants are often used by different pepole with same name).
First of all mexico is not central america, it is north america.
They should not have central american as a category, considering that they use the mestizo population as a reference panel. They should classify amerindian, asian, african, and european seperately. Many people are confused when they get their results and see central american, they think it means native american. Every dna company has it separate.
why cant myheritage do the same?
When going through the "Search Results" list you can double-click a name in the list to edit the record of the person you have selected. But as soon as you make changes to the record, the "Search Results" list suddenly closes and returns to the "All People" list. This is really not helpful if there are Multiple Results and you wish to update another record in the list. And each time it does this you have to go to the "All People" list, select "Search Results" and continue where you left off. But it shouldn't have returned to the "All People" list unless you had just finished updating the last person on the list and nothing remained. This is very annoying and I'm sure others have experienced this.
1. Please add some options to "Search for People" by their "Maiden Name", "Prefix" and "Suffix" as none exist.
2. Can you also add all of the facts that are currently missing in the list of available options - such as "Family Address".
3. And finally, an option to find details that "match the same case" (case sensitivity) would be greatly appreciated. It would be very helpful to filter the results as anything you enter in "Place", "Description" or "Cause of death" cannot be checked to see if they match exactly as you entered - since the option to "match the same case" does not currently exist and often returns search results that are sometimes too large to be of any real use.
The Search for People function is a valuable asset to Family Tree Builder but it would be a lot more useful if some of the extras I made mention were added to an "Advanced" tab at the top of the window (next to the "Basic" tab that's currently there).


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Captain's Report
Captain's Report by Capt. Steve
Open Fishing Space…
There is plenty of room on the aft deck for fishing, the 3600VX's primary mission. Three massive 350-hp Yamaha outboards hang off the stern, which limits you to hauling in the big catch over the sides. Not a big concern as on the starboard side, you can opt for a tuna door and either haul in a monster, or exit the boat with scuba tanks and gear. This also makes dockside boarding much easier than swinging a leg over the wide caprail. The usual fishing amenities are present… a 40-gallon (151.4 L) transom livewell, two 80 qt (75.7 L) fish boxes in the deck, toe rails for that extra hang-on factor, the bait prep centers with running water and, as expected, the now common rumble seat at the stern. Honestly, after seeing how other boats engineer their rumble seats, I'm much more impressed with Hydra-Sports' version. It's easy to deploy by one person and stows away flush to the transom and out of the way when it's time to go to work.
Helm Area
As usual, Hydra-Sports didn't skimp on the helm. It's humongous, with enough real estate for dual 12" (30.5 cm) displays and then some, and Hydra-Sports offers options for factory installed C or E class 12" (30.5cm) Raymarine or Garmin widescreens. Full instrumentation is present including digital readouts for engine tachs and speeds, plus trim condition. Dual independent helm seats keep both the driver and observer comfortable, and visibility is great thanks to the curved hardtop supports that also keep from intruding on the side walkway. Inside the console, where I was expecting a head, is a generator/storage room. It's walk in, with plenty of standup headroom. Vertical rod storage is forward, and the electrical panels are aft. It's also here that I got to see the underside of the drink holders that surround the console. Guess what? They all had hoses connected to them that allowed any condensate to drain into the bilge. It's that level of attention to the little details that keeps setting the standard at Hydra-Sports.
Bow Access
You can get to the bow two ways: One, the center walkthrough - big steps and easy grab rails make the transition from main deck to bow a snap. A low profile windshield is easily stepped over. Secondly, right at the side of the center console is a pair of steps built into the side bulwarks. Once forward you have bow rails that seem to be an afterthought as they're relatively low. A standard windlass will haul in your stainless anchor and 400' (121.9 m) of chain. A hatch to starboard allows you easy access to reach in and deal with any tangles that may occur.
Forward Console Seating
Just ahead of the center console is L-shaped seating. It looks more comfortable than it is, at least if there are more than two people using it. If kept at two, then it is more functional, even allowing one to face aft, down the side of the console. With more than two it gets cramped and knees start knocking. But it is a cool feature and one that I suspect will get a lot of use in the family arena. It's a great place for the kids to hang and stay sheltered, while still getting fresh air.
The Cabin
It's hard to believe that this cabin comes from a company run by such die hard anglers, but here it is. A teak and holly sole, Corian countertops, top notch appliances, air conditioning… it's all here. The usual forward seating and a table convert to a V-berth, and at the aft end of the cabin is a double berth under the deck, just as you would see in an express cruiser. I did a quick count of "sleeps four" and then I caught the small hooks over the forward seats. Ah ha…. Lifting up the seat backs reveal Pullman berths that connect to those overhead hooks. So it's a "sleeps six". Very nice. Now to be sure, this V-berth is a narrow sleeping area, at least in the lower berths, and the wives may have a hard time with it. But there is a "good news" trade-off. First, just move mom and dad to the aft berth and leave the four V-sleepers to the kids. Secondly, step off the boat and check out the bow from the showroom floor. That narrow entry reveals a bow that will tame the heavy seas that this boat will typically encounter, and the bow flares wide as it moves up, so by all appearances, this will be a boat that will be nearly impossible to "stuff" while cutting through just about anything. This is just one more item to add to my "test" list, but that, added to the 23-degree deadrise sure takes the edge out of any shortcomings in width from a V-berth perspective.
For a boat that was made by a fish savvy company the likes of Hydra-Sports, this 3600 VX has the makings of a very family friendly cruising boat that will appeal to a lot of people. And with the Hydra-Sports heritage, it will be around for the long haul too.
Standard and Optional Features
Marine Electronics
|VHF Radio
Exterior Features
Boats More Than 30 Feet
|Bow Thruster
Full Warranty Information on this brand coming soon!
(It's quick and FREE!)

subset: commoncrawl


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EDGEWOOD, Wash. (AP) — A 64-year-old Seattle transit bus driver shot and wounded by a bus passenger says it's "good to be alive."
DeLoy Dupuis (doo-PWEE') and his wife talked to reporters Tuesday outside their home in Edgewood, Wash., near Tacoma, a day after he was shot in the cheek and arm. Police chased and fatally wounded the gunman after he ran onto another King County Metro bus. The county medical examiner's office has not yet identified the man.
Police say the gunfire began after Dupuis asked three people who boarded at the back of his bus to come up front and pay Monday morning. Two of them did, but the third person shot the driver twice before running away.
Dupuis' wife, Shelley Coleman, says her husband was "dodging bullets, literally." And she adds, "All he could think about was where he could move to get out of range of the gun."
His wife says he was terrified, but Dupuis mildly describes his experience as "quite an ordeal."


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Felix Patent Leather Print Mini Kitten Point Toe Court Shoe
The Felix kitty heel, smaller than the kitten, is crafted in luxurious leather with gloss patent detailing, skinny strap and miniture buckle. The pointed toe and cut out side detailing adds a touch of moden elegance. Pair with a co-ordinating suit for a stylish take on workwear.
UK Standard: £4.95
UK Orders Over £250: Free
UK Deliver to Store: Free
ROI Standard: £4.95
International: £10
More Delivery Information
Returns Information


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DeKALB – "Contributing to Women's History Month" is the theme of the DeKalb Area Women's Center Herstorical Tea.
The program will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 23, at the center, 1021 State St. in DeKalb. Volunteers will serve tea and cookies and participants can view displays of women's collections on exhibit.
There will be entertaining education with local and historical women's stories by Northern Illinois University faculty including Winifred Creamer from the anthropology department and Maylan Dunn-Kenney from the College of Education. Some surprise guest speakers are in the wings.
Coins bearing women's images are increased in value for the afternoon; donations at the door will be $5 if paying with bills or $1 if paying with a Sacagawea golden dollar or Susan B. Anthony silver dollar coin.
The accessible lift may be entered from the alley north of the building. The free parking lot is located one-half block south at 415 N. 11th St. For more information, call 815-758-1351 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Please note that this item is at our Aintree store.
We can have this item ready to collect from our Ormskirk branch with 48 hours notice - please contact us
Newly Improved Triggers for Snare Drums. With acoustic-drum triggering more popular now than ever, Roland has responded to requests from the market and created these new-generation triggers: the RT-10K (for kick drums), RT-10S (for snare drums), and RT-10T (for toms). Physically smaller than their predecessors, the new 10-series triggers are easier to position.
Best of all, they feature new trigger-sensing technology for improved response. Mission number one with this new series was to improve trigger sensing, and that's precisely what Roland accomplished with the RT-10K/S/T. The new sensor system is designed to eliminate false re-triggering by offering an adjustable sensor structure (U.S. Patent No. 6,794,569). The reduced size and lighter weight of the triggers are helpful in improving sensitivity.
Please contact us for more information.
0151 6650777


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MARTINEZ — Eighteen people have applied for the $149,851-a-year Contra Costa County clerk-recorder post set to open when incumbent Steve Weir retires in March.
Applicants include former Contra Costa supervisor and Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla of Pittsburg and Weir's brother, Jack, who is a Pleasant Hill city councilman. The men appear to be the only candidates who have served in public office.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to interview the applicants on Feb. 5. The board could make its selection the same day or a week later, on Feb. 12.
The successful candidate will serve the remainder of Weir's four-year term. To keep the job, the candidate will have to win an election set for 2014.
Weir is leaving office March 29 after serving nearly a quarter of a century. He was appointed in 1989 after James Olsson, the clerk-recorder at the time, died. Weir ran and won in 1990 and was re-elected five times without opposition.
The clerk-recorder said he will not endorse anyone.
While vacancy appointments always have political undercurrents, Contra Costa's clerk-recorder also operates the county's elections. County supervisors will likely take great pains to consider the applicants' ability to demonstrate partisan impartiality along with management skills.
The best-known applicant is Canciamilla, 57, who served three terms in the Assembly as a Democrat following a single term on the Board of Supervisors.
The attorney and co-owner of the Pittsburg Funeral Chapel was one of the vocal moderates in Sacramento known as the "Mod Squad," which included members of both major parties who publicly tangled with their leaders. He registered as having "no party preference" in 2011.
Before being elected to the Pleasant Hill City Council in 2010, Jack Weir, 73, a registered Republican, was largely known in political circles as a vocal taxpayers' advocate. Weir vociferously opposed the city's proposed utility tax hike on the same ballot, and it was a winning strategy — he was the top vote-getter, while the tax failed.
Weir also runs his own organizational change consulting company, whose clients have included the Oakley Unified School District and New Directions Counseling Service. He said he would resign his city seat if the supervisors select him.
Among the other clerk-recorder applicants, five live outside the county and are ineligible. Several failed to complete the supplementary questionnaire.
Some of the other candidates:
Contact Lisa Vorderbrueggen at 925-945-4773, email@example.com, www.politicswithlisav.blogspot.com or Twitter.com/lvorderbrueggen.
Type: Elected, nonpartisan, four-year term
Duties: Run the county election system; oversee clerk-recorder functions such as deeds, fictitious business names and marriage licenses; and serve as the county's commissioner of civil marriage.
Money and workforce: $14.3 million annual budget and 86 employees.
Minimum qualifications: U.S. citizen, a registered voter and a Contra Costa County resident.
Pay: $149,851.20 a year plus benefits. Must work at least 10 years with the county to qualify for a pension, although prior public employment may count. Salary is set by the board of supervisors.
Source: Times research


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ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Greenville College men's cross country team traveled to Washington University to run in Forest Park on Friday. The Panthers fell 23-32 in a tough loss to an impressive Bears team.
Nathan Young and Ross Baker were the top two finishers for Greenville, running the course in 20:44 and 20:48 respecively.The men finished third and fourth overall. Both seniors are expected to lead their team this year. Josh Dees finished 7th in 21:22 and Ethan Ford, finished in 22:00 earning an 8th place finish.
Washington University's Josh Clark and Vincent Stephen, both with times of 20:41, finished in the top two spots.
The GC men will run again on September 14 at 4:30 p.m. in Normal, Ill. for the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships.


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Style # 217235
AVAILABILITY: Unavailable for immediate shipment.
Nothing like always-chic stripes to render a sexy look. This bebe maxi dress features a lovely V-neckline and soft drape. Try it with a pair of flat sandals and a floppy hat to achieve a resort-ready look.
- 99% rayon, 1% spandex
- Center back to hem: 47" (119 cm)
- Rayon lining
- Dry clean
- Imported
- Model is wearing a US size SP
Petite Twisted Maxi Dress is rated out of 5 by 1.
Rated 5 out of 5 by SheenBean58 from Perfect Dress! This dress is very comfortable and shows off your curves. I especially like the fact that this dress is color block and stripes to give it a different look. Since I am small, I purchased the petite size. I have to say that is the perfect length and does not drag to the floor, so I can wear flats instead of wedges.
Date published: 2013-08-01


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Meal Type
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For a golden appearance, after chicken is done set oven to Broil. Place chicken 6 inches from heat. Broil 2 to 4 min. or until chicken is golden brown.
Prepare as directed, choosing one of the following flavor combinations: Mediterranean Parmesan Chicken: Substitute 1 Tbsp. lemon zest and 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves for the garlic powder. Parmesan-Onion Chicken: Substitute 2 Tbsp. minced onion flakes for the garlic powder. Spicy Parmesan Chicken: Substitute ground red pepper (cayenne) for the garlic powder. Parmesan Pizza Chicken: Substitute 1 tsp. dried basil leaves and 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper for the garlic powder.
Serve with your favorite hot cooked vegetable.
Serve this deliciously easy recipe at dinner tonight. As a bonus, the Parmesan provides a good source of calcium.
* Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.


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There may only be two candidates, but plans for a debate moderated by Donald Trump are "moving full steam ahead," the organizers said Friday.
Only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum accepted the invitation from conservative media group Newsmax to attend the Dec. 27 forum in Iowa, broadcast on Ion Television.
Some other candidates, in declining, cited the possibility that Trump might make a third-party run for president, an option Trump said Friday he's not prepared to give up.
Asked by Fox Business Network's Don Imus on Friday whether he might back out of his role managing the Q&A, Trump said: "I'll have to see."
"They want me to drop my status as a person to run as an independent. And honestly, I don't think I'm going to do that. I'm not going to drop it," he said.
But Steve Coz, Newsmax's editorial director, said in an interview that the hosts were "absolutely not" considering dropping Trump from the event.
"We just had a full production meeting this morning. We're moving full steam ahead," he said.
Coz said he was "disappointed" that other candidates backed out.
"It's because they're afraid of Trump because he's so tough and so smart," he said, admitting he is not a "typical moderator." "The fact that they're so fearful of Donald Trump that they don't come is ludicrous. How can you be running for president and afraid of Donald Trump?"
Most of the candidates are participating in a debate this Saturday hosted by ABC News, the Iowa Republican Party and the Des Moines Register. Another meeting is on tap for Dec. 15 on Fox News Channel.


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ok I tried this other forum but no one knew/cared.
basically, this 101 which is now out of my hands... the friend who has it might be able to fix it him self as long as it's nothing too techy and whipping out a soldering iron.
Basically, the pulse width didn't get narrow enough... compared to my MC202 it only got to about half of what it should have. Under the hood I found a potentiometer around the middle. but after adjesting it, it didn't make it thinner and eventually after still turning it just clicked and went back to full square again so either I got the wrong potentiometer or something else bad has happened.


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Red Wings cruise to 7th straight win with 4-1 victory over SabresNHL.com @NHL
BUFFALO, N.Y. - With pinpoint passing and precision, the Detroit Red Wings displayed why they are one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
Jimmy Howard made 27 saves, and the surging Red Wings stretched their winning streak to seven games with a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.
Detroit scored three times in the first period, when the Red Wings peppered goalie Jhonas Enroth with 18 shots, and went on to win for the 11th time in 13 games. The only losses came on a West Coast swing that helped them change their ways.
"We made a decision when we went out west not to be a mentally soft team," Howard said. "We want to be mentally tough. This game is full of mistakes, so it's how you respond after making them. We've gotten a lot mentally tougher since then."
The Red Wings were particularly strong in the second period when they killed three straight penalties and maintained a 3-0 lead.
"They had some opportunities to get back into the game in the second and get a goal," Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "But Jimmy really stepped up for us."
Jakub Kindl, Johan Franzen, and Valtteri Filppula scored the first-period goals for Detroit (16-7-1), which last won seven in a row in March 2010. Pavel Datsyuk pushed the lead to 4-1 by scoring into an empty net with 1:17 left.
"We feel we have a good team when we play with tempo and we play right," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "We have a lot of good players with a lot of experience, and have a good calmness about us. We don't get too high or too low, we just keep on playing. We think we have a chance to be a good team, but only time will tell."
Howard, making his 17th straight start, was steady throughout. In the second period he robbed Jason Pominville, who was left alone in the slot. He then stopped Nathan Gerbe on a breakaway in the third.
Jochen Hecht spoiled Howard's shutout bid with 6:13 remaining.
"The confidence in the room right now is great," Howard said. "And in hockey, confidence is everything."
Enroth, making his ninth straight start in place of No. 1 goalie Ryan Miller, made 32 saves for the Sabres (13-11-1), who have lost three of four.
Miller was in uniform for the first time since sustaining a concussion nearly three weeks earlier, and served as Enroth's backup. Miller might start Saturday at Nashville against the Predators.
"That first period showed how a top team plays in the NHL," Sabres defenceman Robyn Regehr said. "We have to be a lot sharper right off the bat. We have to work much harder and be harder on the pucks. Once (Detroit) gets the puck, they make very disciplined decisions."
After a four-game winning streak at the beginning of November, the Sabres are on a 3-6-1 slide.
"We've got to win a game, that's the bottom line," Buffalo forward Thomas Vanek said. "We've got to make a run here."
Hecht made it 3-1 after converting a 2-on-1 break with Pominville with a shot from the left circle.
Kindl staked Detroit to a 1-0 lead 8:50 into the game when his wrist shot from the left point got past a partially screened Enroth.
Franzen made it 2-0 with a power-play goal with 6:22 left in the first, and Filppula pushed the lead to three goals 63 seconds later.
NOTES: Red Wings RW Chris Conner played in his first NHL game since April after being recalled Wednesday from Grand Rapids of the AHL. ... Detroit will play 10 of its 15 December games on the road. ... Buffalo D Joe Finley made his NHL debut and became the ninth rookie to play for the Sabres this season. Philadelphia leads the league with 10. ... Filppula has five goals during his current five-game point streak. ... The Sabres also got LW Tyler Ennis and RW Patrick Kaleta back in the lineup following injuries, but they are still without five regulars. Kaleta, though, left in the second period when he aggravated an undisclosed lower body injury. ... Gerbe left with 7 1/2 minutes remaining after he was clipped in the face by a skate after a faceoff.


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Browse Bulletins
Attachment Theory: Understanding the Essential Bond
When infants bond with parents, it benefits their health.
Brains Change with Trauma
Traumatic experiences can alter how the brain looks and works.
Autistic Brains Show Visual Dominance
Autistic people engage their brain's visual systems for many tasks.
New Digs Expose Early Americans
New finds enter the debate over where humans first settled in the Americas.
Tapping In: The Promise of Brain-Computer Interface
Watch mind and machine merge.
Orangutan Genome Finished
Decoding the genomes of other species is critical to understanding our own.
Introducing the Denisovans
Another human species was alive at the time of Neanderthals.
Tuberculosis's Hidden Strategy
The key to defeating tuberculosis may lie in its longevity.
How Does Reading Change the Brain?
Learning to read reorganizes the brain's neural networks—at any age.
Ancient African Toolmakers Had an Edge
A South African site yields evidence of early advancement in our species.
Cocaine's Tug-of-War in the Brain
Conflicting neurons may explain cocaine's addictiveness.
Blocking Malaria from the Blood
Scientists are discovering the tactics malaria parasites use to infect cells.
Seeking Self-Reflection in the Brain
New brain images offer clues to introspective abilities.
Fuller Gene Map May Help Disease Study
The largest survey yet of human genetic variation.
Have Humans Adapted to the Western Diet?
Gut microbe study reveals that ancient diets suited our bodies better.
Tibetans Show Recent Evolution
Beneficial gene enables Tibetans to thrive at high altitudes.
Malaria: Natural Selection and New Medicine
Evolutionary biology helps scientists fight malaria.
Gene Patterns Point to Long Lives
What's the recipe for living a very long life?
Inside the Teenage Brain
Why can't some teens resist taking risks?
Bipolar Disorder and the Body Clock
Mood disorders are linked to disturbances of circadian rhythms.
Swine Flu: Seeking Genetic Clues
DNA analysis reveals a new—and deadly—strain of flu.
Neanderthal DNA Sequenced
Scientists decode large parts of the Neanderthal genome.
Neanderthal Genome Sheds Light on Humanity
Genetically speaking, how close are we to Neanderthals?
Mapping Microbes in the Human Body
A bacterial DNA sequencing project uncovers the diversity of microbes in humans.
Scientists Generate Brain Cells
Skin cells become brain cells in a petri dish.
Ancient Humans Get a Genetic "Census"
The human genome can tell us the number of people that lived long ago.
New Tools Search for Lyme Disease in the Brain
A powerful imaging technique may see early nascent brain damage from Lyme disease.
HPV: Treating Cancer Caused by Viruses
Understanding viral links to cancer aids prevention and treatment.
Obesity's Genetic Markers
Scientists are finding biological influences on obesity.
Rare Disorder Sheds Light on Sociability
People with Williams Syndrome are fearlessly, impulsively social. Brain scans are revealing why.
Ardi Unveiled
Ardipithecus ramidus lived long before Lucy—and moved in quite a different way.
Decoding Human Ancestry
Huge genetic studies are making sense of human ancestry across the globe.
New Gene Implicated in Deafness
Researchers manipulated mouse DNA to discover a new genetic link to human hearing loss.
Amazon People Offer Clues to Heart Health
An indigenous community in the Bolivian Amazon is shedding light on the risk factors for heart disease.
The Roots of a Malaria Menace
Biologists have traced the deadliest form of malaria to its source.
New Brain Model of Earliest Primate
3-D brain model provides clues about primate brain evolution.
Scientists Identify Earliest Primate
A key group of extinct primates takes its place on our ancestral tree.
When Young Brains Become Social
A new study shows brain changes underlying social cognition in children.
Ancient Musical Instrument Found
A 35,000-year-old bone flute reveals the musical nature of the first Europeans.
"Hobbit" Study Takes a Step Forward
Tiny hominids could walk but not run.
Human Heart Muscle Can Self-Repair
Long thought irreplaceable, human heart cells actually can regrow.
Little Brain Gland has Big-Time Effect
A genetic study shows the surprising influence of the pineal gland on our 24-hour body cycles.
New Stem Cell Method Shows Promise
Scientists create stem cells that are safer to use in research.
Peking Man: Older Times, Colder Climes
A new date for an old fossil hints that Homo erectus was resilient in colder climates.
Abuse Lingers in the Genes and Brain
Biologists have learned that childhood abuse can leave a lasting mark on brain function.
Language in the Brain
Brain scans are showing how humans handle language.
Did Extra Genes Shape Our Family Tree?
Gene copying mistakes may have prodded the evolution of gorillas, chimps, and humans.
Stomach Bacteria Show Early Human Travels
The germs that live inside us have evolved with us -- and tell a story of early human migrations.
Learning vs Remembering: A Brain Battle?
Can you both learn something new and recall something old at the same moment?
Mapping "Hobbit" History
A fresh look at the human fossils on Flores Island hints at their evolutionary history.
« Previous Next » 1 2 3


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Last Lenten efforts
With just a week of Lent left, here are some links to help you make the most of it.
I wish I knew that Catholic Relief Service's Operation Rice Bowl has recipes from all around the world for simple Lenten meals. I've eaten some rice and beans for simple meals this Lent but it would have been fun to try more of these recipes. I will have to do so after Lent too!
I include fish in my fast from meat all Lent long, but if you're eating fish, check out Monterey Bay Aquarium's seafood watch resource to find out which fish are environmentally friendly choices. And if you're trying to be more environmentally friendly, join the 914 Facebook fans on "Go green for Lent," brought to you by Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.
Monday was World Water Day. Celebrate by checking out WASH for Lent (standing for Water, Sanatation, and Hygiene) and reading our story on water issues and the Bible.
If you're in Limirick, Ireland for Good Friday, you won't have to stick to water for the first time in years. A court ruled that pubs may open on Good Friday, traditionally one of two dry holy days in Ireland, because of a rugby match. The other dry day is Christmas.
Finally my favorite: There's an iPhone app that is a Lent Observance Tracker. It helps you keep track of what you give and what you give up!


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Final Fantasy X HD may be out soon according to unconfirmed reports.
On par graphics wise with XIII? Highly doubtful. That would require a massive undertaking and we all know how SE is these days.
I can't wait to play this again, was hands down one of my personal favorites
That's possible but it will consume most of the time from other teams just make it I mean they will going to finish Final Fantasy 14 online and Lighting Returns:Final Fantasy 13 this year so which team are doing it that's the question plus kingdom hearts coming too.
This is just not possible. I don't think these guys know how FFXIII looked like on the PS3.


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Keesee sets senior recital
Release Date: November 12, 2007
PLAINVIEW -- Wayland Baptist University student Jody Keesee will perform his senior vocal music recital at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16, in Harral Memorial Auditorium on the Wayland campus.
Keesee, a tenor from Lubbock, is the son of Jim and Elaine Keesee, and is majoring in vocal music education. He will perform a variety of pieces, including works from Joseph Haydn, W.A. Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Vincenzo Bellini, Giuseppe Verdi, Felix Mendelssohn and more.
Admission to the performance is free and open to the public.


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Basic Plan with Increased-Take-Home-Pay (ITHP)
For PFRS Tier 1, 2, 5 and 6 Members, and Tier 3 Members Covered by Article 11
(Sections 370-a, 371-a & 375)
Internal Revenue Code Section 401(a)(17) limits the amount of salary that qualified pension plans, including the New York State and Local Retirement System, may use in the calculation of benefits. It affects members who first join on or after April 1, 1996, and currently excludes earnings over $250,000 (effective April 1, 2012) in the State's fiscal year (April 1st – March 31st). The amount is set by federal law and is periodically adjusted for inflation.


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Welcome to the new look for MassLive.com's forums. We've redesigned the forums so that you can more easily access all the other news and information provided on MassLive.com, in addition to your forum experience.
Below is a quick guide to the new forum design. Everything will work in similar ways to the old forums, but things will look a bit different. The information below is designed to help you quickly become comfortable with the new look.
Navigating the Site and Related Content
Every forum now includes easy navigation at the top of the page to other sections of MassLive.com, and access to our simple Site Search tool, in addition to a more focused forums search.
In the right column of the screen, you will find links to related content that is generating conversation elsewhere on MassLive.com. This should make it easier to find, explore and start or join discussions about important stories or topics in your community.
Reading Posts and Comments
Many of the elements in the new forum design are similar to those you have used in the past, they just feature a different "look and feel." For instance:
- In order to view a thread, or discussion, you just click on the discussion title – in the case below, we've selected the discussion "One thing."
- In order to view a response to the post "One thing," you just click on the title of the response. In the case below, we clicked on "There is nothing."
- For the sake of readability, the number of characters displayed for a discussion or response title has been increased from 25 to 50. The font has also been changed to make the text easier to read. (Hint: For those who would like to have a larger iframe to work with, check out this handy bookmarklet which will expand the frame size - thanks Jeff!).
- We've also added the time each message was posted to the forum.
Adding a Post
In order to add a post, you must be logged in. When you click to "Respond to a Message," if you are not logged in, you will be prompted to do so in the area below the messages. You must also be logged in to "Start a new topic."
Once you have logged in, you will see a form below the existing posts where you can enter your message title and specific message, much like the form provided in the previous version of the forums. When you have completed your message and title, you can preview your message to see how it will appear in the forum before it is posted.
If you do not immediately see your new post, you can click the title of the forum at the top of the page to refresh the screen, which should allow your new post to appear.
Searching the Forums
The Forum Search can be accessed in the right column of the screen. There are two ways you can search the forums:
- You can search within the forum you are currently viewing and select from forum posts that match your search:
- Or you can search all forums in order to find topics that interest you:
When you select "Search all forums" you'll come to a screen that allows you to search even more:
When your search results appear, just click on the message you want to read, and click on the subsequent posts just as you would when reading a forum:
We hope you enjoy the new look and features of this improved design, and we encourage you to share your thoughts and reactions in the comments below.
Ed Kubosiak Jr.
Editor-in-Chief, MassLive.com


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Women's Jofit Tennis Apparel
Made for women by women, Jofit tennis apparel offers high quality athletic styles designed with a focus on fit and function. Jofit maintains a commitment to creating women's athletic apparel that fits all shapes and sizes and stands up to the demands of female athletes. Their tennis clothing is chic, somethimes themed, and always appropriate. Signature sport fabrics include Jo-Dry Jersey to wick moisture, 4-Way Stetch Woven to move with your body, and Heavyweight Knit to enhance shape and provide light compression. The real solution to your next great game is to wear Jofit clothing made for real women with real bodies! For an inside look at test products and to get the info about fit and more check out our Tennis Express Blog!


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Man gets 5-8 years in prison for Lincoln arson
Man gets 5-8 years in prison for Lincoln arson
LINCOLN, Neb. —
A man who skipped town before his 2009 sentencing for a Lincoln arson has been given five to eight years in prison.
Brad Cox, 32, was sentenced on Tuesday.
He'd pleaded no contest in 2008 to setting fire to his Lincoln rental home in April 2003. But court records say Cox left Lincoln before his sentencing date.
Court records also say Cox faces charges in a 2008 arson case in Omaha.
Cox had been using a different name while running a California bookstore when he was arrested for drunken driving in June. Authorities learned his real name and sent him back to Nebraska.


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Mobile operators handed content billing blueprint
YouTube at 50 cents a month, Skype for €3
An allegedly leaked presentation from Allot Communications suggests that mobile customers might end up paying €3 a month for Skype, and 2 cents per MB for Facebook.
The leaked presentation isn't an operator plan, despite how DailyTech describes it - it's just what infrastructure providers Allot and Openet think would be appropriate. But as both companies supply billing and management systems to significant operators, it's worth taking a moment to see how they envision the future.
The unlimited, or fair-use-capped, data tariff fades in favour of tariffs based on the services and when they are used, with payment for data being bundled in the price of devices and applications as well as tariffs. So using Facebook costs 2 cents a MB, while the operator's own content is free and evening and weekend data is charged at a lower rate.
The presentation (pdf) goes on to suggest that devices might be sold with unlimited data, but limited functionality, and that applications could come with a quantity of data bundled with them.
None of this is new - Orange already provides discounted data in the evenings for users of Samsung's Galaxy Tab, while Amazon bundles unlimited data (for downloading books) with its Kindle e-book reader. Three already provides application-specific bandwidth in the form of free access to Facebook (over 0.facebook.com), and few operators count browsing of their own pages towards the fair-use cap already imposed.
In fact the only thing missing is the ability to pay for bandwidth when buying an application, which is logistically difficult given the number of players involved, but will surely come.
The other thing that is missing today, critically, is much in the way of transparency and fairness. The majority of mobile data users just want occasional Facebook access and are currently subsidising those few who do hit their data caps on a monthly basis, not to mention that all data users are still being subsidised by those who pay for voice calls by the minute - who contribute more than 70 per cent of operator revenue, despite accounting for less than five per cent of the traffic on a network such as Three's.
That situation is obviously unsustainable: we're going to have to pay more for our data, the only question is how we go about doing so. ®


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Ask Dan Pompei: how fast are Matt Forte and Johnny Knox?
From Dan Pompei
The Bears are on a bye and taking their foot off the accelerator this week. That means a reduced work load, more emphasis on learning and time to heal up.
But you still have some questions about how hard they were hitting that accelerator on Sunday. And I am here to try to answer, best I can.
Is it possible that Forte is slower this year (getting caught from behind yesterday), and Benson is faster (see last weeks TD run)
Joe Pelini, Kenosha, WI
Sure, it is possible that Forte is slower this year, but not by much. Generally speaking, NFL players get a little slower every year they play as a result of the aging process and the wear and tear on their bodies. But it usually isn't anything appreciable, at least not until late in their careers. Forte was caught from behind by Lions safety Louis Delmas, and their combine numbers say he should not have been. Forte ran a 4.44 40 yard dash at the 2008 combine. Delmas ran a 4.52 40 yard dash at the 2009 combine. But Delmas had a good angle on him, and Forte had farther to run. And as Bears fans are well aware, Forte is not accustomed to running such distances. As for Benson, he clearly is playing better in every aspect of his game. He certainly is playing with more urgency than he ever played with in Chicago.
Mr. Pompei, Did anyone notice the time that Johnny Knox ran the opening kickoff of the 2nd half Sunday? According to the clock he ran that 102 yards in 12 seconds which is amazing with him wearing a full football uniform and on high grass. I would like your opinion. Thank you Jim Lierman
My stopwatch had the run taking 12.5 seconds. Not too shabby. Especially considering Knox started slowly and swerved a bit. Knox has play speed as well as track speed.
I could have sworn I saw Jay throw an INT on the last play of the first half against the Lions, but when I looked at the box score after the game, it wasn't there. I'm certainly not complaining, since it was a desperation Hail Mary, but can you explain this? Did Jay send a Benjamin Franklin to the official stat guy?
Jim Van Horne, Marshalltown, Iowa
Cutler did not throw an interception on the last play of the first half, but he nearly did. On the Hail Mary throw to which you are referring, Lions safety Ko Simpson caught the ball but couldn't hang on, in part because he was hit by Bears tight end Greg Olsen. So Olsen did his buddy Cutler a big favor by taking an INT off his stat sheet. Looks like Cutler owes him one.
Why do the Bears try to run Garrett Wolfe between the tackles? Wouldn't he be better on a sweep or even a reverse with Johnny Knox?
Tucker Fenwick, Arlington Heights, IL
Good question. There is no doubt Wolfe is a more effective runner in space. But when the Bears drafted him, they thought he was tough enough and physical enough to run between the tackles as well. When Wolfe is in the game, the Bears want him to be able to run the same plays Matt Forte does—they don't want to have him run only select plays because that would be a tip-off to the defense on how to stop him. So if they give him a few runs up the gut, that sweep left might work better than if all they did was toss him the ball and tell him to run wide.
With a defense that gives up 24 points to the Lions, who left a lot of points on the field by mising a slew of open recievers - I am very worried despite being 3-1. That said; when was the last time the Bears gave up 24 points and still won?
Al B., Montgomery, AL
It really is not that rare an occurrence, Al. It happened two times just last season. The Bears beat the Saints 27-24 in overtime on Dec. 11. And they beat the Vikings 48-41 on Oct. 19. I also do not think allowing 24 points is cause for alarm. The Bears defense had some holes, but did what it had to do to win the game.
Do you see Juaquin Iglesias having any kind of impact on the field this year? He seems to have fallen of the face of the earth. He is this year's Earl Bennett from last season? - Thanks Enjoy your comments on radio...
Rob Borelli, Schaumburg, IL
I think there is a good chance Iglesias could be the new Earl Bennett. The first thing you need to know is the Bears are not down on Iglesias. They still believe he has a bright future. But he did not come charging out of the gates in training camp. As a result, he fell behind a number of players on the depth chart. The only way he gets on the field now is if someone is injured or slumps. But keep an eye on him in 2010.


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Ad Ahoy! : When all you need is extra
What do you need when you are sleepy at work? What do you seek for when you are playing basketball and chewing something makes you focus? What do you look for when you realised your breath is not exactly "fresh"?
Yeap! You need a chewing gum. Chewy, minty, flavoury and in some way, cool. Chewing gums has been around for ages! In fact, during the olden times, people started chewing on leaves and plants. That is way, way back then. OK, Let's not get too far now.
One of the first chewing gums I ever chewed on is Extra chewing gum. It has been around since 1984, making its name as the first sugar-free chewing gum in the market. Recently, I saw Extra's TV commercial and I simply love it! Then I searched in Youtube for more of the similar ads and I got seven of it!


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So I've been told you gotta twitter to gain readers but it is just sooo anooying! Why don't people reply? How do you get people to follow you? I swear I'm being quite witty! Any Twitter thoughts/tips?
Oh...and if you wanna follow Andie and I its @eazilyamuzed13. XOXO!
Views: 17


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|Assistant Coach
|Third Year at SCU
WNBA veteran Stacy Clinesmith was named an assistant coach at Santa Clara in June of 2011. Clinesmith has already had a major impact in all aspects of Santa Clara's women's basketball program, focusing on developing the guards, recruiting, scouting and practice planning.
Clinesmith helped the Broncos to 14 wins in 2012-13, the most
under head coach Jennifer Mountain. Under her guidance, guard
Meagan Fulps moved into seventh place on the all-time scoring list
at Santa Clara and ended her Bronco career with 1,297 points.
In her first season at SCU in 2011-12, Clinesmith helped the Broncos get off to the program's best start in over 10 years. She also helped develop senior guard Alyssa Shoji '12 into one of the nation's top 3-point shooters. Shoji set the West Coast Conference all-time single-season 3-point field goal record (99) in 2011-12 and represented the University at the 2012 State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships, which aired live on ESPN.
Clinesmith spent the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach at Central Washington University. A Northwest native, she starred at Mead High School in Spokane, Wash., then enjoyed a record-setting collegiate career at UC Santa Barbara before playing three seasons in the WNBA.
She was tabbed as Washington State's 3A 'Player of the Year' while at Mead, and went on to become one of the most accomplished guards to ever play at UCSB. Clinesmith led the Gauchos to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and finished ranked second in UCSB history with 647 assists and sixth on the Gauchos' all-time scoring list with 1,565 points.
UCSB posted a 107-20 overall record during Clinesmith's four collegiate seasons (1997-2000). She earned All-Big West First Team honors three times, starting with her sophomore year, and was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team as a rookie. The Gauchos won Big West tournament titles in each of her four seasons. She was named the Big West tournament 'Most Valuable Player' in 2000.
The WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs drafted Clinesmith in the second round of the 2000 WNBA Draft and she spent two seasons playing for Sacramento before joining the Detroit Shock in 2002. She went on to play with the Springfield Spirit of the National Women's Basketball League (NWBL) and the Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico.
Clinesmith served as Oregon State University's Director of Basketball Operations in 2008-09. She has been extremely active within the Northwest basketball community, serving as a color commentator on channel KHQ-TV in Spokane, developing and organizing instructional camps for Spokane area youth and serving as the Director of the Sports Performance Extreme Enhancement Development (SPEED) program at Whitworth Physical Therapy from 2005-07.
Clinesmith graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2000 with a bachelor of arts in sociology. She has been a certified strength and conditioning coach since 2004.


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The Weeknd Gave Selena Gomez a Cute Kiss in Toronto!
About Photo #1076053: We already told you all about Selena Gomez's date with The Weeknd in Toronto and now we have even more photos to share with you! The 27-year-old "I Feel It… Read The Post Here
Posted to Selena Gomez, The Weeknd
powered by ZergNet


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What if as a computational scientist you had the ability to ask "what if" questions and get answers not in days or weeks but minutes? And what if you could see the results from your questions in real time and, depending on what you see, shift your inquiry on the fly and get answers almost as quickly as you're able to process what you see. It would be like having a powerful computer wired into your inquiring mind, and your ability to ask new questions as they occur to you, based on rapid results, would transform your ability to do science.
Nathan Stone and Raghurama Reddy, PSC, who developed PDIO, software that routes data from the XT3 in real-time to remote users.
Using PSC's Cray XT3 and with help from PSC-developed software, Paul Woodward and David Porter have been doing this, running interactive simulations of turbulence and "steering" them to explore the features that most interest them. "The XT3 has the fastest processor interconnect in a machine with thousands of CPUs," says Woodward, "and this feature is all important to enable interactive steering of flow simulations."
For many years, Woodward and Porter, astrophysicists at the University of Minnesota's Laboratory for Computational Science and Engineering (LCSE), have studied turbulent astrophysical flows. "The consistent thread in our research," says Woodward, "has been using large-scale supercomputer simulations to understand and model turbulent convection in stars."
Their ambitious long-range goal is to accurately simulate in detail the turbulent dynamics of an entire giant star, stars similar to the sun. As a step toward this, their recent work has focused on small-scale turbulence, studies that can identify parameters from which to build an accurate model of turbulence on large scales. "This need to represent the large-scale effects of small-scale turbulence," says Woodward, "arises in many areas of science and engineering, from flow in pipes and combustion engines to meteorology and ultimately to the sort of 'stellar weather' we have been simulating for many years."
From simulation of turbulent mixing between initially isolated layers of two gases of different density traveling across each other at Mach 1/2, these graphics show the "shear layer" that forms between them. The lower fluid is 2.5 times more dense. Only mixtures are visible, with regions of pure denser or lighter fluid transparent. Color goes through yellow to red where the denser fluid predominates and aqua to blue where the lighter fluid predominates.
Their focus on small-scale turbulence led the researchers to a significant breakthrough in massively parallel processing. With the Cray XT3, they've solved the problem of "strong scaling" — which, essentially, is getting a large number of processors to work together efficiently on a moderate-sized problem. "Getting a small problem done fast is the hardest thing," says Woodward.
In January 2007, Woodward and Porter used 4,096 XT3 processors (plus eight input/output nodes), the whole system, to simulate turbulent shear between two fluids. They used a computational grid of 5763 cells, fine enough to resolve the small-scale turbulence they want to understand — a run that would take weeks or months on an average cluster. With performance of 2.32 gigaflops (billions of calculations per second) on each XT3 processor, 9.5 teraflops overall, the run of 6,000 time steps completed in 7.7 minutes.
The drop in per-processor efficiency in using the whole machine was less than 5-percent — a credit to the XT3's interprocessor communication. "That's pretty damn amazing," says Woodward. "It's a testimonial to the effectiveness of your Cray XT3 interconnect."
Although impressive, running a problem of this size in eight minutes, Woodward acknowledges, is overkill. The real significance lies in the potential it demonstrates. "You can take that and say 'Suppose we do a bigger problem not by assigning more work to each processor but by having more processors.' That leads to petascale computing that runs really well on reasonably sized grids. The principle challenge of petascale computing is strong scaling."
Converging on Turbulence in Giant Stars
As an ultimate goal, Woodward and Porter want to simulate an entire giant star, which means modeling the swirling, pulsating bands of gas that surround a star's thermonuclear core. These volatile turbulent phenomena underlie and govern the birth and death of stars, which provide not only the light energy that sustains life, but also the elements that are its constituents. The primary means scientists have to learn about these processes is computational simulation.
As a necessary step toward simulating an entire giant star, their recent work with PSC's XT3 has focused on "subgrid-scale" turbulence. To radically simplify, subgrid-scale means turbulence that happens in very small spatial dimensions compared to the large domain of the overall problem, but which nevertheless affects the large scale and must be accounted for in a large-scale model.
With subgrid-scale turbulence, their aim is to run simulations at fine enough resolution (large quantity of grid cells) that the results correspond to what happens in nature. Their test is "convergence" — getting results that no longer significantly change (as measured statistically) as the grid becomes progressively more fine.
One kind of turbulent mixing, known as Rayleigh-Taylor instability, occurs due to gravity when a heavy gas is on top of a lighter one. This sequence shows four time intervals from an XT3 simulation (on a 7682 x 1536 grid), with regions of predominantly heavier fluid (red), lighter fluid (blue), more even mixture (yellow), and 50-50 (white). By the time of the fourth image, the mixing, though confused, shows descending "mushroom caps" that produce organized very fine-scale mixing.
To appreciate the leap to strong scaling, it helps to know about its opposite, weak scaling. Over the next few years, supercomputing infrastructure will evolve to "petascale" — the ability to do a quadrillion (1015) calculations per second. This amount of computing — which will enable major advances in many areas of science — will come from systems comprising tens or hundreds of thousands of processors linked with each other so that scientists can use them in teams to address very large problems. In computational lingo, this is "scaling" — as you "scale up" a computational problem, you apply more processors.
Weak scaling is the easy approach, at least relatively speaking. It means, basically, that as you scale up you make the problem larger, but each processor does the same amount of computing. If you double the size of a 3D grid in each dimension, for instance, you need eight times more processors.
Strong scaling, on the other hand, as Woodward says, is not easy. It means that for a given problem as you scale up, say, from 100 to 800 processors you apply this greater number of processors to the same grid, so that each processor is now doing 1/8 as much work. You would like the job to run eight times faster, and to do that requires restructuring how the program divides the work among processors and increases the communication between them.
This thin slice [left] through the mixing domain at a late time interval from an R-T instability simulation on a fine grid (7682 x 1536 cells) shows striking agreement in larger features with the same slice (right) from the same simulation on a coarser grid (3842 x 768). The qualitative differences are minor, which suggests convergence — that all reasonable simulation codes would arrive at similar conclusions. "If so," says Woodward, "we may be confident in the simulated results and use them to validate subgrid-scale models of turbulent multifluid mixing."
Woodward and Porter appreciated the XT3 — fast processors with a fast interconnect — from its inception as a TeraGrid resource in 2005, and worked with it from early on. Using their turbulence code, PPM (Piecewise Parabolic Method), they developed the ability to do interactive, steerable runs remotely with real-time visualization — a breakthrough in several ways that they demonstrated first at conferences, iGrid2005 in San Diego and again at SC05 in Seattle.
To do simulations in real time as exploratory runs — to ask "what if?" questions on the fly — was a new capability in turbulence research. To make it possible, Woodward and Porter worked closely with PSC scientists Nathan Stone and Raghurama Reddy, who developed specialized software — called Portals Direct I/O (PDIO) — to route simulation data from the XT3 in real time to remote users.
As numbers crunch in Pittsburgh, PDIO assembles the resulting data streams and routes them for Woodward and Porter to volume-render and display as real-time images. "The ability to have instant response from supercomputer simulations is very useful," says Woodward. "You can, for instance, change the Mach number, and almost immediately see what that does. This is a whole pipeline of utility programs that we tied together in an automated fashion. The support from PSC is outstanding."
With real-time interactive capability in place, over the past year Woodward and Porter extended their effort to rapidly solve small-scale problems and made a dramatic leap when they found a way to restructure their PPM code. The happy discovery came as result of working with the Cell processor, a multi-core processor — multiple processors on one "chip" — with much potential for supercomputing applications.
The approach they arrived at, says Porter, is "maximum cache reuse" — not easy to explain, but it has to do with "vector length," strings of identical mathematical operations. From early days of supercomputing, code performance was optimal with vector-lengths as long as possible. With the Cell processor, however, Woodward and Porter found — to their surprise — that shortening the vector-length to conserve cache also speeded up performance.
"Over the past year," says Woodward, "we have completely redesigned our PPM simulation codes, and improved performance — about one gigaflop per processor — by dramatically reducing the data granule on which the processors operate." The performance improvement depends on the XT3's fast interconnect, because maximum cache reuse makes increased demands of inter-processor communication. The combination of restructured code and the XT3, as Woodward and Porter demonstrated with 9.5 teraflops sustained on 4,000 processors, is a big step in the direction of petascale.


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Hi all,
I am just starting Latin For Beginners, and I already have a question about pronunciation. The book states that "i" before another vowel in the same syllable is considered a consonant, i consonant, and has the sound of "y" as in yes. So am I correct in thinking that in the word "iam" the "i" is not considered a consonant and has the sound of short i, because the "i" is a syllable apart from the "am"? I think I understand most of the other rules of pronunciation, but I want to confirm this one.
Thanks in advance for any help offered,


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I am often amazed by the countless, well meaning, people who share all their secrets & techniques for struggling readers. It's not that I'm amazed there are so many struggling readers out there, not in the least. Rather that each person who has the "ultimate" answer forgets to mention the most crucial step in helping a struggling reader: checking in with a professional first. Now I know there are those who will shake their head & adamantly disagree with me, but I ask you one very sincere question: Have you ever really had a struggling reader before?
There's a huge difference between a child who isn't interested in reading & a child who physically can't accomplish the task. I know there are many many different ways for a child to struggle & that our situation is not unique to the masses out there, nor is it the only way for a child to show struggles. I know there are many many reasons why a child can be struggling. Still, I'm left scratching my head by the countless, well meaning people, who presume that parents are simply doing it wrong, & the countless companies & people who endlessly share the idea that we're doing it all wrong.
We're offering the wrong books. We're offering the wrong sized book. Stop bribing your children. Remove electronics. Require your children to read longer. This last one, this one really gets me. Every. Single. Time. It makes me shake my head & want to wag a finger in the speakers face.
A true struggling reader isn't going to improve if we require them to read longer. A true struggling reader is overcome with emotion & frustration every step of the way. They avoid books, not because they hate what's inside of them, but because they hate how they are made to feel when they try to read! Do you regularly attempt to do things that embarrass you? Publicly?
Did you know that children with Irlen Syndrome have no more to give? Did you know that requiring them to read for 5 more minutes could not only put them in sensory overload, but cause a complete shut down? Did you know that a person with Irlen Syndrome isn't using the excuse that they are thirsty to get out of reading? That 5 more minutes you demanded from them set their brain into overload, literally, & now has them three steps past dehydration. They will now, most likely, complain of headache, stomach ache, & eye pain which will, in many cases, last the remainder of the day. In short, you just caused ultimate burnout.
If you started your day with reading, & pushed too far, every other thing you want them to do, everything they wanted to do in the day, is now going to be an absolute struggle.
No ultimate list of resources, perfect books, or techniques will cure the problem. Children who struggle with Irlen Syndrome aren't alone in this phenomenon that many people can't understand. Asking a child with dyslexia to give it one more go, to try just a little bit harder isn't going to make them see any clearer. In fact, again, you've just pushed them to a point of sensory overload.
It's not that I begrudge people their ultimate lists; their well meaning advice. I don't. I'm sure there are a great number of people out there who can benefit from that advice. The question is, are they the ones reading the articles? Are they scanning anything they can to find that one solution that will take their child from a struggling reader & turn them into a strong reader?
Yes, my defence mechanism may be on high alert right now, but remember: Great advice is worthless unless applied to the right situation.


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The recent furor over an internal WHO memo downgrading Taiwan to a "province of China" and the government's inept handling of this matter has set a dangerous precedent that could further erode Taiwan's international standing.
When the WHO document was first disclosed by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) it triggered public outrage.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was slow to catch on to the implications. Instead, he touted it as one of his administration's achievements that Taiwan had been able to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei" since 2009. Ma further claimed that his cross-strait policy had secured this goodwill gesture from China.
Ma promptly changed his tune when he realized that this could become a liability in his upcoming presidential campaign and called a press conference in which he clenched his fist and gnashed teeth — but still barely managed to protest, calling the WHO memo unreasonable, unfair and "inconsistent" with past practices. He also promised to deliver a strong letter of protest to the WHO Secretariat.
When the letter was made public after Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) delivered it to the WHO, it caused further public disappointment and anger.
The letter merely asked the Secretariat to be consistent in referring to Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei" and did not attempt to refute the WHO's assertion that Taiwan is a "province of China."
Kuan revealed further documents issued by the WHO Secretariat which refer to Taiwan as an "area" of China, relegating Taiwan's status to that of Hong Kong and Macau.
"The expression 'Chinese Taipei' should only be used for the list of participants, summary records and similar documents of World Health Assemblies to which that entity is invited as an observer," a new memo added.
In other words, Taiwan is referred to as "Chinese Taipei" for just the five days a year when the health minister attends the WHA. By failing to assert that Taiwan is a sovereign state, and not part of China, Ma has given the international community the misleading impression that Taiwan agrees that it is part of China.
It fell to US Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to speak out for Taiwan. In response to questions from reporters, Sebelius said no UN agency had the right to unilaterally determine Taiwan's status. Ma should have thanked Sebelius for her remarks and agreed with her position.
When then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the summer of 2007, indicating Taiwan's interest in joining the world body, Ban brazenly responded that the UN considered Taiwan to be part of China. Washington warned Ban that this was not the position of the US.
The WHO debacle shows that Ma's policy of cozying up to China and distancing the nation from allies like the US and Japan can only further erode international support.
The episode also shows that Ma's policies have reduced, rather than increased, Taiwan's international space. Instead of bringing "substantive participation," they have garnered only empty promises. Instead of enhancing the health and well-being of Taiwanese, they have brought Taiwan closer into the unwelcome embrace of an authoritarian China.
Let's hope that Taiwanese see through the rosy misrepresentations of the Ma administration's policies and cast their vote for a party that truly represents the interests of Taiwan and its freedom-loving people in next year's elections.


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I am an atheist/ agnostic but after careful thinking, I've decided that perhaps virulently promoting atheism (as this community is doing) isn't really good for society. Please don't get offended, just read my arguments below calmly and rationally. If you can argue that I am wrong, I will listen to those arguments and change my opinion.
Note 1: I am using science in all my arguments, not religion.Not all my links point to scientific studies, but I'm sure you could find relevant evolutionary psychology papers if you googled for it.
Note 2: Please don't take offense, I'm not a sexist or a misogynist. I am trying hard to be as unemotional as possible in my arguments.
Argument 1: Polygamy is bad for society
What percentage of our (pre-civilizational/ barbaric) ancestors are males? The answer is not 50%. As evolutionary psychology points out, 80% of our female ancestors managed to reproduce but only 40% of our male ancestors did so. (Link: http://www.psy.fsu.edu/~baumeistertice/goodaboutmen.htm). Simply put, in barbaric societies, males were the high-risk high-reward sex whereas females were the low-risk low-reward sex.
Males are genetically polygynous (interested in sex with as many women as possible - this makes sense as men can produce millions of sperm every day and have a low reproductive cost)
Females are naturally hypergamous (interested in only one man but the best; the top 'alpha' man - this makes sense as a female produces one egg per month and has a high reproductive cost due to pregnancy and child birth).
When sexuality is uncontrolled, the combination of male polygyny and female hypergamy results in polygamy a.k.a harems (one man having sex & children with multiple women).
The ones who suffer are the beta males - the ones who have been sexually selected out. They typically become violent and don't contribute to society. There is an argument to be made that the Taliban practices polygamy and this is the source of violent behavior of terrorists from that part of the world. (Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200706/ten-politically-inco...)
When promiscuity is controlled through strictly enforced monogamy, every man gets a wife. This reduces violent behavior and unlocks the productive capacity in males. I don't have the link available but a man who is already married or believes that he will marry in the future will be 4x productive as an unmarried man who does not believe that he will ever marry (e.g.) Japanese grass-eaters ostracized by an increasingly promiscuous Japan (Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/27/japan-grass-eaters-sala...)
Alpha men don't significantly contribute to society - they are not scientific geniuses or hard workers. They are typically physically aggressive men. Contrary to feminist dogma, physically dominant men (even dominant to the point of abusive) are attractive to women because they exhibit alpha tendencies - The Dark Triad of Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy.
Alpha men understand their higher attractiveness (compared to betas) and adopt a pump-and-dump sexual attitude. They have many sexual partners but don't bother helping with raising their young; some of their young will die due to lack of resources but they make up for it in numbers.
Betas adopt a nourish-and-protect sexual attitude. They have only one sexual partner, whom they win by proving their love and commitment. Then they have children with only this partner, but provide resources and protection to ensure their children grow up successfully.
Monogamy is the cornerstone of civilization. See the Moralia versus Libertalia argument (Link: http://www.hookingupsmart.com/2011/10/14/relationshipstrategies/how...). In a monogamous society, with greater male economic participation and lesser violence, prosperity, rule of law and art flourish.
Argument 2: Promiscuity naturally leads to beta ostracism and harms society
Promiscuity - Defn: Any form of sex outside of monogamous marriage (including exclusive relationships)
Non-exclusive relationships (polyamorous relationships) are almost always polygamous (one alpha man with many women). This results in many beta men losing out.
Exclusive relationships also result in beta men losing out - Why? If enough alpha men are not available, hypergamous females would rather not enter into any relationship at all rather than be with beta men - "The Where have all the good men gone?" tirade from many women in modern promiscuous culture.
Promiscuity is the leading cause of single motherhood. Many women will rather have children with alpha men (who will later abandon them) rather than with good beta providers (whom they find dull and boring).
The social effects of unleashed promiscuity are enormous - 40% out of wedlock births, single motherhood and increased Govt debt/ taxation to support single motherhood by the State which steps in to replace the father.
Single motherhood produces children 2 to 10 times more likely to suffer from:
(Link: http://owningyourshit.blogspot.com/2012/03/transcript-of-fempocalyp...)
Argument 3: Atheism promotes promiscuity (Edit: by being silent about it)
I am not saying that atheism caused promiscuity (that happened in the 60s due to a variety of other reasons including feminism) but atheism has played a role in the rise of moral relativism, especially with respect to promiscuity.
The Golden Rule is perhaps the first tenet of religious morality but it is not the only one. The second most important tenet of religious morality is monogamy.
I have seen many arguments about how atheists are equally moral (if not more so) than religious people. In all these arguments, people assume that morality = Golden Rule.
Based on my personal experiences, many atheists seem to think that:
Morality = the Golden Rule
Promiscuity = personal freedom (i.e.) promiscuity is acceptable behavior that the Church restricts because the Church is old and stupid. Many atheists don't seem to realize the far reaching social effects of promiscuity.
This moral relativism on promiscuity is obvious even in this site. For example http://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/atheists-are-not-moral-peo... does not deal with promiscuity at all. http://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/what-is-your-stance-on-mar... has answers from many atheists clearly exhibiting moral relativism on the subject of promiscuity.
[Edit: The majority of your arguments were against this. I can understand why this may look like a strawman argument. Let me clarify:
There is a strong correlation between divorce risk and low IQ. There is also a strong correlation between high IQ and atheism (giving you folks a compliment, take it :) ).
Atheism as a movement, originated primarily amongst high IQ society. But it has now gone mainstream and is growing fast, scarily fast almost. As Uncle Ben put it, "with great power comes great responsibility". But Atheism does not seem to be taking up that responsibility from the Church. Yes, the Church is broken and old and corrupt and its practitioners are bigots and hypocrites. But, it is still the only thing out there taking a stand against promiscuity. Atheists seem to walk away from the responsibility of condemning promiscuity and most Atheists promote sexual freedom.
Morality naturally comes to Atheists because they are high-IQ individuals who are better able to visualize the impact of their life choices in the future. But, as atheism goes mainstream and the Church dies out, what happens to all the voices condemning promiscuous behavior?
We are not more evolved now in anyway than we were in the past. We are, still at our core, apes struggling to build great civilizations. We all (especially low IQ individuals) need moral guidance to help us in this struggle, to make better life choices.
Can you point links to me about prominent Atheists condemning promiscuity? Is the Atheist movement willing to take up the mantle of promoting social morality from the Church after slaying it? ]
[Edit 2: I am not a troll, I've just been super busy last few days, I will have more time this weekend to reply to some comments below. The essential thing I am trying to say is that religion is not pure evil, and we should not look at it in terms of black and white.
There are definitely good things about religion. There is a very interesting theory that religions also evolve over time and the most popular religions are the most useful ones to society, and they became popular precisely because they were an advantage to societies that adopted them. For example, societies with religions that promoted monogamy were almost always more successful in combat over societies that had religions that did not emphasize monogamy. The reason is because in societies that practiced monogamy, soldiers had a genetic stake in survival of that society (they had their own children to protect). Rome fell because of polygamy - the top politicians had harems and orgies and monopolized the women, resulting in loss of morale amongst troops who did not get the chance to be fathers. Rome was increasingly forced to rely on mercenaries rather than patriotic troops to protect her. After the treasury ran out, Rome collapsed because disenfranchised beta males, who had no genetic stake in Rome, simply walked off and allowed the barbarians to invade.
My point of view has always been "What is best for society?", and not "What is true?". Atheism is the correct working hypothesis because there is no proof for God and we have to use Occam's razor at all times. I don't see any downside consequences of high IQ people discovering/ discussing Atheism. But, we have a moral obligation (as the high IQ elites in our society) to do what's best for society. Imagine a ghetto filled with the poorest, uneducated people in our society. We have to make the decisions that will benefit them.
I don't really have a problem with Atheism, but I have significant issues with the Atheist Movement. For instance, take the advertisement "There is no God, Relax". This advertisement is targeted at people who have made bad choices in their life and have been sexually irresponsible. They are probably feeling guilty about these choices and the Atheist Movement is offering them an easy way out. It tells them "There is no Hell or Heaven, so relax and continue making bad choices". In reality, there is no hell or heaven, but there are societal consequences of your choices. In reality, guilt is often a very useful biological mechanism for correcting bad behavior, but Atheism is offering them a way to rationalize away their guilt so that they can continue making bad choices. I am speaking about this from personal experience, I have known people who commit adultery and rationalize their guilt because they think that the concept of 'sin' is meaningless as there is no God.
Also, to all people accusing me of being a sexist and having double standards, I am not asking for double standards from men and women; I am demanding high standards of expected social morality from both sexes. How is that sexist in any way?]
I am going to judge the merit of a social construct on the basis of its usefulness, not on the basis of its truthfulness. I will only promote an idea to society only if I am convinced it will help society.
If the Traditional Conservative Church (not the Modern version that tolerates no-fault divorce) is useful to society as an institution that encourages monogamy, I would rather have that than Atheism.
Views: 8055
Hank, I bow in admiration to your awesomeness.
well stated!! +1
Ditto. Well said.
Argument 1:
Atheism has nothing to do with polygamy, atheism is the absence of faith in a deity no more no less. So that argument is automatically debunked based on definition alone.
Argument 2:
Again based on definition, your argument is incorrect and inconsistent to what atheism means. While religious doctrines promote sexual repression in many different ways, that does not mean that atheism does the total opposite. Atheism has no stance on a persons sex life whatsoever. The only thing atheism has a stance on is the lack of believe in deities. Promiscuity is a subjective choice and opinion based on individualism, sometimes it can be based on friends, surroundings etc, but it has nothing to do with one being an atheist.
Argument 3
Same as "Argument 2", it has nothing to do with ones sex life. Since there is an absence of an atheist scripture there is no way of atheism promoting anything but lack of faith in a deity.
All you are doing here is taking into account that religion has these rules against sex and claiming and assuming that because religion is lacking in atheists they must promote everything religion supports. That is a logical fallacy. Religion is not an authority on morality, morals are leaned from experience, individualism, and influence of others (not necessarily religious others). You are making baseless claims, and generalizations without really backing them up. You are just irrationally assuming because religion is lacking so is morality. I would suspect that even as an atheist you are still attached to your religious upbringing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is certainly the impression I get
Shanker I really have to ask you though. Do you actually understand what it means to be an atheist? Because I have to tell you man, you are not demonstrating an understanding of the basic idea of what an atheist is.
You seem to keep stating the obvious, but not consider the implications. Just like saying "Everyone should be free to do whatever they want. Period! How dare you tell anyone what to do??"
You aren't realizing that MOST people have no fcking idea what they should do. It's become fashionable to claim people are able to decide for themselves, on highly nuanced issues. Heck, I have thought about it for years now, ever since I discovered the amount of promiscuity on this planet (I'm 23, where I come from, promiscuity is highly undesirable in civil society. It was all "You know, in America, women (and men) have sex with people they just met!" kind of news through media and rumours.)
I STILL don't fcking know if its alright or not. I always thought its wrong, but then, what's wrong with it? Still there's some internal thing saying its wrong, is it conditioning?
I have still not met any highly ethical non-religious people who are not highly analytical, as well as highly bothered about ethics. Its foolish to assume everyone thinks that much. We all know how irrational humans can get. In this context, you want to claim the same old "its got nothing to do with my sex life"?
Of course he understands what being an atheist means. People build up their entire lives around their religious morals. When atheism unceremoniously deconstructs it, there needs to be that message that atheism doesn't consist of having NO moral code. It's just that there's no god in the picture.
If you were able to make all of life's decisions easily by mere consideration of logic, that's great. I am also reaching towards that goal, bit by bit. But not everyone can do that. And I doubt they have to. We need some societal control. Be it god, govt, parents, dictator, etc.. or one's own ethical code. Atheists are those who pick that last. It's hard for everyone to know what to do though.
RE: "It's hard for everyone to know what to do though."
I don't agree - I belong to the Holy Church of Jerry Springer, who closes each show with one simple commandment: "Be good to yourself and each other."
I can live with that --
Define "good." Is it what you suppose is good or what the other person does? OR is there some objective good outside the both of you?
Good - What the majority agrees on is good, and which doesn't deny any person of food, clothing, shelter, air, water, and safety from physical harm.
Everything else is up to the majority.
Oh boy, I think I'm going to get ripped apart :D. Anyway let's see what archaeopteryx says.
It seems you're mistaking a rule you just made up (that the good is "What the majority agrees on is good, and which doesn't deny any person of food, clothing, shelter, air, water, and safety from physical harm") for some sort of objectively true principle.
I didn't just make it up. I just put it down in words. It does seem like THE basic rule. Its not objective. Its what we have accepted as a precondition to living in a civilized society as we know it.
Are you just suggesting moral relativism instead?
Edit: I'm genuinely curious and interested to know how good can be defined. I am not invested in this opinion to defend it. So no attacking intended. I'm being open.
I think moral relativism is unavoidable. The Spartans threw deformed babies off a cliff, which sounds horrible to us but not to them. Were they just bad people or did they live by an ethic that worked for them?
Well, I can tell you that it DID work for them. Nobody messed with the Spartans, not even the Persians.
What price victory --?


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- Written by webmin
The six states that comprise America's most historic region are also unbelievably rich in auto racing lore, going right back to the dawn of the sport. The New England Antique Racers have recognized that for a long time, and just announced their 2011 Hall of Fame class.
The guy in the Pinto-bodied Modified below is New Hampshire inductee Howard "Punky" Caron, with scores of wins on both dirt and asphalt spanning four decades. The late Jerry Dolliver won more than 100 Supermodified features. Dan Meservey founded New England's Mini-Modified class and was its biggest star before going South to race with noted success in the NASCAR Dash series. Russ Nutting was a racing force in Maine, both as a Supermodified driver and official. Stanley "Skip" Matczak of Connecticut fielded everything from Supers to USAC Sprint cars for drivers ranging from Richie Evans to Wally Dallenbach.
Crew chief Vic Kangas went from Maine stock cars to winning NASCAR races to bossing teams that won with IMSA at Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Garuti brothers were early stock car legends, running coups for the likes of Moe Gherzi and Eddie Flemke. Last among the inductees is Val LeSieur, who for years edited and published Speedway Scene, one of the most authoritative racing newspapers in the country. That's Val in the above image, grinning between another couple of New England immortals, Rene "The Champ" Charland (left) and Bill Slater, both of whom were in NEAR's first class of inductees, in 1998. The induction ceremony is January 30 at the LaRenaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, Connecticut, visit www.near1.com to learn more.


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The highest form of happiness is contentment. The media and our consumer society often play on discontent. They show us images of what life could be if we were something better or if we only had something more. But contentment is about being in the moment and being present with one's Self and with the divine. God is everything already. When we connect with our divine nature, we are connected to the wholeness beyond fears, desires and the ups and downs of happiness and despair. As a practice, just for today, when the feelings of discontent begin to rise and the mind seeks out all that is wrong and could be changed for the better, find the contentment. This doesn't mean to be satisfied and no longer put any efforts into growing and becoming a better person. It means finding a place of rest and not striving – just for a moment, just for today when the search for happiness starts to drive you to feel frustrated and angry, look at the good things around. Try on the phrase, "I am content."
When I lived in Switzerland, I recall often sitting at the kitchen table alone in the morning contemplating happiness. "Am I happy?" I wondered. I didn't feel anything close to ecstasy. Nor did I feel despair. I felt lonely, but I had all I needed at the moment. A friend gave me some cards and one of them held these wonderful words of wisdom by Sathya Sai Baba, "Contentment is the highest form of happiness." That card sat on my table and I realized, "I am content. I can do and be content." Over the years as the loneliness and the trials endured, I often recalled those words and reminded myself. "Yes, there are good things here. I may not be happy in the form that I see in those commercials with people smiling ecstatically over a new pair of sunglasses or a new mate, but I am content."
I like to explore the meaning of words to help me understand: content is defined as "satisfaction with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else" and contentment is "ease of mind." Though I've done this practice for long periods, I have to keep coming back to it and reminding myself again and again. "I am content." I may not be happy in the sense of the American TV commercial vision of happiness, but right now, I have what I need and my mind is at ease. "I am content."
Today try this practice: Focus on contentment. Be content with what you have and where you are. Check in with your feelings first thing and throughout the day. Can you find your sense of contentment?
Bio: Debra Moffitt, author of Awake in the World:108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life is a long time student of the world's oldest spiritual traditions. A visionary and teacher, she's devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind/body/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. Visit her online at www.debramoffitt.com and www.awakeintheworld.com.
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