trouble getting started

Mvn server output:
// Error: // Uncaught Exception: Method Invocation run : at Line: 2 : in file: <unknown file> : .run ( )

Target exception: java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: org.apache.maven.shared.model.ModelTransformerContext.transform(Ljava/util/List;Lorg/apache/maven/shared/model/
ModelTransformer;Lorg/apache/maven/shared/model/ModelTransformer;Ljava/util/Collection;Ljava/util/List;)Lorg/apache/maven/shared/model/DomainModel;

java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: org.apache.maven.shared.model.ModelTransformerContext.transform(Ljava/util/List;Lorg/apache/maven/shared/model/ModelTransformer;L
org/apache/maven/shared/model/ModelTransformer;Ljava/util/Collection;Ljava/util/List;)Lorg/apache/maven/shared/model/DomainModel;
at org.apache.maven.project.builder.impl.DefaultProjectBuilder.buildFromLocalPath(DefaultProjectBuilder.java:176)
at org.apache.maven.project.DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.readModelFromLocalPath(DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.java:544)
at org.apache.maven.project.DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.build(DefaultMavenProjectBuilder.java:132)
at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.collectProjects(DefaultMaven.java:286)
at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.getProjects(DefaultMaven.java:256)
at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.createReactorManager(DefaultMaven.java:93)
at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.execute(DefaultMaven.java:147)
at org.apache.maven.embedder.MavenEmbedder.execute(MavenEmbedder.java:854)
at org.grumblesmurf.jdemvn.MvnServer$RunDescriptor.run(MvnServer.java:130)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:585)
at bsh.Reflect.invokeMethod(Unknown Source)
at bsh.Reflect.invokeObjectMethod(Unknown Source)
at bsh.BSHPrimarySuffix.doName(Unknown Source)
at bsh.BSHPrimarySuffix.doSuffix(Unknown Source)
at bsh.BSHPrimaryExpression.eval(Unknown Source)
at bsh.BSHPrimaryExpression.eval(Unknown Source)
at bsh.Interpreter.run(Unknown Source)
at bsh.Interpreter.main(Unknown Source
Compilation exited abnormally with code ) at Sat Dec 13 09:49:32

i am using
GNU Emacs 22.1.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.12.9) of 2008-05-02 on king, modified by Ubuntu

any suggestions to get past this?
gordon at itasoftware dot com