He Needs a Test?

From The Root - 

‘It’s Not Unusual’ for People to Ask Tom Jones if He’s Black ... Now He’s Taking a DNA Test to See

The world really wouldn’t be shocked if the Welsh singer’s DNA tests showed that he does have African ancestry.

After decades of questions, Jones must have gotten tired of people asking about his nonexistent black background, and the singer has decided to get a DNA test. The 75-year-old singer says a lot of people still think he’s black.

“When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me I’m just passing as white,” Jones said in an interview.

Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales. His mother Freda was of Welsh and English ancestry, and his father was of English descent. Even his mother was questioned about her ethnicity when she was born. According to Jones, she was born with dark patches all over her body.

Nowadays, DNA tests that trace your ancestry are pretty commonplace. From Ancestry.com to 23andMe, with something as simple as a sample of your saliva, you’ll be able to get information about your ancestry.

What will be interesting to see with Jones’ results, if he makes them public, is whether the speculation about his African ancestry is true. Considering that a lot of British people are descendants of Vikings, Romans, Indians and Africans, Jones may not have to wonder much longer where his tan and his coarse hair come from.

BUILD V1

The language of lying — Noah Zandan

Learning to Love Sac

I've always liked Sacramento, but I really grew to love it when I moved away.  I always said it was a great place to raise kids, but it's more than that.  It's a great place to "be."

If you're lucky enough to live there, enjoy it.

I was reminded of this when I read this article in the Bee.

~~~~~~~~~~

An epiphany leads to loving the city of Sacramento

After cashing in on his dream, he realized the beauty of Sacramento

Reimagining the city’s neighborhoods, restaurants and inspiring places

A four-step guide to use your talents to make a difference in the city

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/the-conversation/article41743980.html#emlnl=Morning_Newsletter#storylink=cpy

More Ben . . . The Big Picture

http://www.its.ucdavis.edu

Yes.

I'm a proud momma.

Ben is a Featured Aggie!

HIGHLIGHTS: OCTOBER 2015

An ongoing series, spotlighting ITS-Davis Alumni

Ben Sharpe’s UC Davis Doctoral Degree Leads to Research Career in International Transportation

  

 

By: Alex Lee

For Ben Sharpe—Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, UC Davis, 2013—the focus is global.

As a senior researcher for the International Council of Clean Transportation (ICCT), Sharpe and his team actively study the impacts of heavy-duty vehicles for the governments of countries around the world, in particular: China, Brazil, Mexico, the European Union, the United States, and, most recently, India. With offices in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Berlin, the widely respected, independent, non-profit ICCT provides “first-rate, unbiased research and technical and scientific analysis to environmental regulators.”

Although Sharpe has been a senior researcher for only three years, his tenure at the ICCT spans more than six; he started his involvement with the council while still pursuing his Civil Engineering doctorate with a transportation focus at ITS-Davis. Not surprisingly, Sharpe credits a lot of his success in the position with the knowledge and connections he made through his UC Davis transportation graduate program. “My first contact with ICCT was back in 2007. I was super lucky to work with [ITS-Davis Researcher and Energy Efficiency Center Associate Director] Alan Meier. He was with the International Energy Agency for a number of years and knew that I had a strong interest in heavy-duty vehicle efficiency: As part of his class we had done some work looking at tractor-trailer operations in the U.S. Well, IEA was doing a workshop in Paris in 2007 to look at regulation of heavy-duty vehicle efficiency, and Alan was instrumental in getting me some funding and a formal invitation to attend that workshop.”

Now a few years into his career, Sharpe is currently tackling issues involving heavy-duty vehicle efficiency in a number of different countries and regions. Recently, Sharpe and his team authored numerous papers answering technical questions for regulatory design in India and also held a workshop in Delhi in April to foster discussions. His team offers policy and technical recommendations to governments around the world who have various levels of experience in traversing through contemporary transportation issues.

“The current mode that we are in is following need,” he said. “And one of the biggest needs right now in terms of fuel efficiency regulatory development for heavy-duty vehicle is in India.”

Sharpe now lives in Sacramento with his family, commuting to his office in San Francisco via the train a few times a week. As he reflects back, Sharpe notes the lasting impacts of his time at ITS-Davis.

“I really could not have asked for better training for the field I am in now. The research at ITS-Davis is extremely aligned with what we do here at the ICCT,” he said. “In terms of the coursework, getting all the exposure to analytical tools, models, and technical jargon—my experience at ITS was terrific. I could not have envisioned a better segue to the ICCT.”

Holiday Recipes From All 50 States

Just in time for holiday cooking.  Some of these look amazing.

From The New York Times -

The United States of Thanksgiving

We’ve scoured the nation for recipes that evoke each of the 50 states (and D.C. and Puerto Rico). These are our picks for the feast. Dig in, then tell us yours.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/18/dining/thanksgiving-recipes-across-the-united-states.html?mi_u=38867499

Studying Abroad

From The Root - 

Black Students Don’t Study Abroad, but a New Initiative Hopes to Change That

The Council on International Educational Exchange and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions are partnering to support and encourage presidents from colleges and universities that serve minorities in the expansion of their study-abroad programs.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2015/10/black_students_don_t_study_abroad_but_a_new_initiative_hopes_to_change_that.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content%26

The President Meets the Pope

And the Winner Is . . .

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/simone-biles-gymnastics-video_5632b0e7e4b00aa54a4da1a8

This Kid is From "The Wire"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-is-what-it-feels-like-to-play-adeles-love-interest_562fdc3fe4b0c66bae59e8fb

Seal Jumps On Guy's Boat And Makes A Friend

STOMP makes basketball music with Harlem Globetrotters

Flying Beavers!

Some Emoticon History

From Slate - 

When people first started making faces with their keyboards, emoticons were perceived as a tool that would help clarify the tone of online texts. In 1982, Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Scott Fahlman noticed a problem with the rudimentary online bulletin board his department used to share messages between students, faculty, and staff. Department members liked to make jokes on the forum, but the flat affect of the virtual environment sometimes made it hard to land a punch line. If “someone made a sarcastic remark, a few readers would fail to get the joke, and each of them would post a lengthy diatribe in response,” Fahlman later wrote of the board. “That would stir up more people with more responses, and soon the original thread of the discussion was buried.” On Sept. 19, 1982, Fahlman posted this message:

I propose … the following character sequence for joke markers:

:-)

Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use

:-(

Fahlman is widely credited with inventing the keyboard-rendered facial expression. But as his emoticons gained traction on early computer systems, they took on emotional lives of their own. The frown emoticon that Fahlman pitched to mark a serious post “quickly evolved into a marker for displeasure, frustration, or anger,” Fahlman wrote. “Within a few months, we started seeing the lists with dozens of ‘smilies’: open-mouthed surprise, person wearing glasses, Abraham Lincoln, Santa Claus, the pope, and so on,” each of which conjured a slightly different vibe when deployed in a new context. Fahlman had devised the emoticons to help clarify the meaning of online texts. But he soon realized that the meanings of emoticons themselves were highly subjective. And that was before we started communicating our feelings through endless combinations of tiny, colorful images—pouting cats, silly ghosts, and grinning piles of poo.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/users/2015/10/emoticons_and_emojis_as_evidence_in_court.html

I Love Pumpkin!

Grandma’s Pumpkin Snack Cake

 

Print

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin

For the Frosting:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon milk

Find Delicious Holiday Dessert Recipes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, and beat at low speed until combined and the batter is smooth.
4. Spread batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.
5. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the sugar and milk and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread over cooled bars. Dust lightly with cinnamon, if desired.

As see on Pinterest -

Found on kitchenmeetsgirl.com

Oppressive Heat May Become Deadly Heat

From The New York Times -

By the end of this century, areas of the Persian Gulf could be hit by waves of heat and humidity so severe that simply being outside for several hours could threaten human life, according to a study published Monday. Because of humanity’s contribution to climate change, the authors wrote, some population centers in the Middle East “are likely to experience temperature levels that are intolerable to humans.”

The dangerously muggy summer conditions predicted for places near the warm waters of the gulf could overwhelm the ability of the human body to reduce its temperature through sweating and ventilation. That threatens anyone without air-conditioning, including the poor, but also those who work outdoors in professions like agriculture and construction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/27/science/intolerable-heat-may-hit-the-middle-east-by-the-end-of-the-century.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Why Cuban cab drivers earn more than doctors

Fried Chicken

From Buzzfeed - 

Here’s A Mouthwatering Step-By-Step Guide To Making The Most Insanely Delicious Fried Chicken

http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/perfect-fried-chicken#.tneE9QpZq

Sachal Studios' Take Five Official Video