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Police are on the look out for the man who walked into an Old Town United Bank location Tuesday morning, flashed a handgun and made off with cash.
The suspect, described as a 25- to 30-year-old, light-skinned black man roughly 5-foot-9, entered the 301 S. Washington St. bank about 9 a.m. After brandishing his firearm, the man demanded cash. A bank teller complied and the man fled on foot, authorities said.
He was last seen heading down South Washington Street. Officials say the suspect wore blue jeans and a black coat at the time of the heist. Donning a camouflaged bonnie hat, the suspect covered his face with a black scarf.
Police did not release the exact amount of money the suspect stole. The heist is the city's first bank robbery of the year. The city was home to five bank heists in 2011.
Authorities urge anyone with information regarding the bank robbery to contact detective Chris Whelan at 703-746-6884 or the police department's criminal investigations section at 703-746-6711.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mr. Biz: "Yeah, I have an appointment at 3:00 today, and my boss called an emergency meeting for the same time."
Mary: "Okay, do you need to reschedule?"
Mr. Biz: "No. Do you have WiFi?"
Mary: "Um, no, why?"
Mr. Biz: "Because I want to attend the meeting online during my doctor appointment. It's very important."
Mary: "I can reschedule you to tomorrow..."
Mr. Biz: "Wait a minute. You mean to tell me your office doesn't have free WiFi service? What do people do while they're waiting for the doctor?"
Mary: "He's usually pretty prompt, but we have magazines and..."
Mr. Biz: "How can you NOT have WiFi for patients? Just cancel my appointment, I'm going to find someone else."


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- This event has passed.
PRE-SCHOOL GYMNASTICS 2 (4 yrs)
March 24, 2020 @ 6:30 pm - 7:15 pm
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every week that begins at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, repeating until June 16, 2020
4 years old
This class is designed for natural little gymnasts who are quickly advancing. Preschool gymnastics is a prerequisite for advanced gymnastics or a teacher's recommendation after an evaluation. In this class level 1 skills will be introduced in order to challenge our young gymnasts.


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Atiquariaat Otia-
Our customers form the EU may pay directly to one of our bank accounts, we do requier pre-payment, the details will be e-mailed to you. All prices are in EURO and do NOT include shipping costs. Postage costs will be adjusted if the book is heavy (parcel more than 2 kilos), it will be up to of course to agree or not if the postage turns out to be higher. Customers from outside the EU,pay via Credit Card/Paypal handled bij ABE books.
All books are in good / very good condition un...
Orders usually ship within 3 business days. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
PLEASE NOTICE: The Dutch post doesn't have a guaranteed delivery speed, it's just an indication. Customs might cause some delay as well.


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Blog Listing
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Thursday, September 21, 2017
SPFBO Review "Neferiti's Heart: The Artifact Hunters Book 1" by A.W. Exley (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo and Cindy Hannikman)
1861. Cara has a simple mission in London – finalise her father's estate and sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when a killer stalks the nobility, searching for an ancient Egyptian relic rumoured to hold the key to immortality.
Nathaniel Trent, known as the villainous viscount, is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on both Cara and the priceless artifacts. His icy exterior and fiery touch stirs Cara's demons, or could he lay them to rest?
Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem known as Nefertiti's Heart. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she sacrifices her own heart and life
1861. Cara has a simple mission in London – finalise her father's estate and sell off his damned collection of priceless artifacts. Her plan goes awry when a killer stalks the nobility, searching for an ancient Egyptian relic rumoured to hold the key to immortality.
Nathaniel Trent, known as the villainous viscount, is relentless in his desire to lay his hands on both Cara and the priceless artifacts. His icy exterior and fiery touch stirs Cara's demons, or could he lay them to rest?
Self-preservation fuels Cara's search for the gem known as Nefertiti's Heart. In a society where everyone wears a mask to hide their true intent, she needs to figure out who to trust, before she sacrifices her own heart and life
ANALYSIS: (Mihir) Nefertiti's Heart is an intriguing book that
popped up in Fantasy Book Critic's lot. Firstly it was a top 3 contender with its
gorgeous cover art and the blurb was exciting enough for me to get started on
it early on. The book's blurb details our protagonist's hurry to sell off her
father's estate for reasons that become crystal clear in the first few chapters
itself. Cara Devon is a person who's been shaped by her teenage/adolescent
years and those hardships have left mental, physical & psychological scars
on her. These scars inform her current behavior and outlook in life wherein she
has decided she wants nothing to do with her dad and his precious collection.
Cara's struggles are further compounded
when she learns that some of the items in her father's collections are prized
by similarly focused individuals who share even less morality than her recently
departed father. There's also the concern that her father's death wasn't a
natural one and due to which Scotland Yard detectives are very much intrigued
by her and her whereabouts. There's also the Viscount who's interested in her
legacy and a Scotland Yard officer who wants the truth to be uncovered. These
are the main characters in play and there's a serial killer at work too. These
are the tangled threads that author A. W. Exley puts into play in the first
volume of The Artifact Hunters series. The book ends on a strong climax which
solve the mystery presented in this first volume but sets up a romantic plot
thread that will resolve over the series as well gives us a colorful cast of
characters to follow.
What I loved immediately about this
book upon starting it was the characterization beginning with Cara. She's a
formidable character who will intrigue the reader with the hints about her past
and her resoluteness in her wish to be rid of her father's legacy. I was
immediately drawn to her and as the story progresses we find that there's more
to her grit. The story is almost a thriller with some solid romantic overtones
to it and I felt that as a thriller lover, I was able to enjoy the story and
even the romance. I can't speak to how well the romance is crafted since I'm
not that big a romance reader but the story held up for me. A word of caution
though there's some dark stuff within with regards to Cara's backstory and it
might not be palatable to everyone. Any plus point about the book was its
streamlined pace and the mystery at its core. In this regard this book was a
definite surprise as it managed to successfully mold aspects of the thriller,
romance & steampunk genres in its fold confidently. Lastly the book cover
is an eye-catching one and was in the top 3 from our lot.
The not so fun parts to this story,
well there's the whole romance buildup which takes place between our
protagonist and the Viscount which doesn't quite add up. For example our
heroine doesn't like been touched but is strangely drawn to the count's dark
brooding ways. The author explains some of this attraction later on in the plot
but it didn't quite ring much for me. Maybe for romance readers this might be a
genre trope and that would explain it. For me, that was a bit of a glitch in
the story. There's also the steampunk aspect of the story which seems a tad
window dressing like. Sure there's mention of airships and other things from
time to time but not much explanation is provided of how things came to be as
they are.
Overall these are minor complaints from
me as I still was able to enjoy the story because of the main mystery, the
engaging characters (main and side cast) as well as the plot pace which makes
it quite easy to want to keep on reading. I think this book definitely deserves
a semifinal slot and I would be interested to see how the author develops the
world and characters in the sequels. Nefertiti's Heart is a fun but dark
romantic mystery story that offers a bit of many genres and marks itself as a
good read nonetheless.
(Cindy) I think I have mentioned a time or two or even more
that I love reading books that take place in London. When I saw that
Nefertiti's Heart took place in a Victorian-era London, I instantly had to give
it a shot.
Nefertiti's Heart is a mixed bag of genres all combined into
one book. There is a little bit of sci-fi/steampunk, adventure, mystery,
gothic, and romance. Normally this wouldn't work out as it would seem that mixing
so many different genres would cause the plot/characters/flow of the book to
suffer, but it didn't.
I will admit that there is a heavier emphasis on the romance
element than I am used to or really would care to read, but – for me – the
mystery and steampunk elements were strong enough that I could easily look over
the romance-heavy sections.
There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about
Nefertiti's Heart. It had a very fast-paced feel to it, the mystery was
captivating, and I really "clicked" with the characters. Add in the
fact that much of the mythology referenced and time period was very well
researched and you have a solid novel that is extremely enjoyable.
While I really enjoyed Nefertiti's Heart, I will admit that
it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. The romance-heavy sections are
really heavy on the romance. Not every reader is going to be able to overlook
it and some may even feel it draws from the plot.
There is also another issue that really needs to be
mentioned. It isn't so much an issue, but it does – I feel – need to be noted
so readers can make an informed decision. Nefertiti's Heart brings up some
pretty grim and heavy topics. If you are squeamish regarding abuse, especially
the physical and sexual abuse of a child/teen, the entire novel isn't going to
fit for you. While these topics are heavy, I felt they were handled in an
appropriate manner.
Overall, I feel Nefertiti's Heart is a strong novel. It
certainly isn't going to be everyone's favorite book and there are going to be
a lot of things some readers don't like, but for me, personally, it worked.
Give it a shot, you might be impressed.
1 comments:
- Elisabeth Wheatley said...
Okay, but romance and steampunk and London and I so happen to have this in my Kindle library...you guys just bumped it up on my TBR!
- September 22, 2017 at 7:04 PM
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New Beverages research report from Canadean is now available from Fast Market Research
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text:
This is a cruise line private island experience we haven't seen before. Our Caribbean cruise on Regent Seven Seas Cruises included a day at Harvest Caye, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable days of our cruise.
Harvest Caye is an island a mile offshore mainland Belize. Like other cruise line private islands, Harvest Caye was developed as a beach port of call in the Caribbean for its guests by parent company Norwegian for its Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Oceania guests. And when they developed it, in addition to a beach resort guest experience, Harvest Caye was designed to promote and support Belize's wildlife conservation goals. Even with an in-house Chief Naturalist. Meet Tony Garel and the famous bird residents of Harvest Caye in this cruise.


text:
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SuperTech SPRK-2081/RB25 Nissan Skyline RB25DET Hydraulic Spring Kit
Supertech valve springs are computer designed to ensure smooth harmonics under high RPM and load. The stress levels are kept under control and fatigue is reduced for long durability under extreme conditions. These springs are made of premium Superclean Chrome Silicon Vanadium steel alloy, which is a tough alloy that was designed for higher performance and durability at high RPM's and memory retention.
Note: This is for a complete set of dual intake and exhaust valve springs. Retainers and spring seats are included if they are part of the kit.


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The Meccano Society of Scotland
Menstrie Meeting 2009
In May 2009 we held our annual Menstrie Meeting and Challange.
The Challenge this year was to construct a trebuchet. See the Challenge Rules page for more details.
Menstrie Challenge - Report
The Challenge this year was to construct a Trebuchet. Click here for the detailed rules
In the event there were 5 entries. Two of these did not fall within the rules. One was spring operated. By definition a trebuchet was weight operated. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a trebuchet as "a machine for projecting missiles against defences". While this is a necessary condition of being a trebuchet, it is not sufficient to completely define the machine. The rules originators did not consider it necessary to include a "no springs" rule, it having been assumed that the weight operated condition would be well understood by entrants. The other entry that did not meet the criteria was one which had a sling attached. As it was 15½" high and the sling was attached at the top, in operation it was going to be outwith the 15½" arc defined by rule 4.
From left to right in the general picture below are:
- Douglas Carson's entry. Highly ingenious design with the weight falling vertically and activating a lever system which caused the arm to flick over at high speed. Projected the missile further than anyone else but unfortunately disqualified as the sling on top did not operated within the specified 15½" arc.
- Bill Jack's entry. A conventional design. Probably had the greatest activating weight.
- Bobby Middlemass' entry. Spring operated and therefore not within the rules.
- Robert Jones' entry. Another conventional design having the pivot point on the projecting arm very close to the weight.
- Rod Bessent's entry. Very well engineered machine with a geared wind up device for the weight. Projecting arm at right angles to arm bearing weight. The overall winner.
In the event each machine was required to project three missiles:
- A matchbox with a small number of ball bearings
- A matchbox filled with ball bearings
- A practice golf ball (i.e. a hollow plastic sphere with a perforated surface).
The results are shown in the table below:-
Entrant | DISTANCE PROJECTED (inches) | ||
Light Matchbox | Heavy matchbox | Practice golf ball | |
Rod Bessant | 76 | 62 | 55 |
Bill Jack | 55 | 15 | 83 |
Robert Jones | 40 | 22 | n/r |
Douglas Carson | 168 | 101 | n/a |
Bobby Middlemass | 65 | 19 | 52 |
For some reason the performance of Robert Jones' entry with the golf ball was not recorded. Douglas Carson's sling would not hold the ball and his machine therefore did not project it.
Rod Bessent was the overall winner with the missile specified in the rules. Interestingly Bill Jack's machine outperformed it when the golf ball was used as a missile. Douglas Carson's machine was so much better at projecting the matchbox that one is left wondering if a better design within the rules might have been a shorter projecting arm with a sling to bring the operating arc up to the specified arc. Or was his success due to the ingenious vertically falling weight mechanism referred to earlier?
Pictures from Menstrie 2009
High resolution versions of the photos are also available for download if desired.
Tip - You may find it better to view the pictures in 'full screen' mode - For most browsers F11 will toggle this on and off.
© 2024 Meccano Society of Scotland


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Friday, August 1, 2008
Music While Painting
In the column at left is a blog-reader poll. I invite you to vote for the kinds of music that you listen to the most when you're working.
In the comments, please recommend your favorite links for free podcasts, or share some funny stories about people listening to music in studios or sketch groups. I'm curious to know how music or talk radio interacts with your visual tasks. Do different parts of your creative process (preliminary sketching, blocking in, or finished painting) seem to call out for different kinds of music?
56 comments:
- SCIBOTIC said...
While I don't listen to it when I'm working, http://escapepod.org/ is all kinds of awesome.
- August 1, 2008 at 2:53 AM
- Unknown said...
I was a percussionist for quite some time so I can't listen to music while I work, it's just reflex to tap the beat now and that's a problem when you've got a loaded paintbrush or handful of clay. So I listen to audio books and radio shows (not talk radio, stuff like Sherlock Holmes), currently I'm in a non-fiction mood and working through A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.
- August 1, 2008 at 2:58 AM
A comedy morning radio show from philadelphia. In my opinion the best comedy podcast on itunes. They put the entire show up without the music.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=78775671&subMediaType=Audio - August 1, 2008 at 2:59 AM
- K_tigress said...
Oh I love just about every thing, except for uncreative music, country/western, rap and any thing else annoying. Depending on my mood, I love imaginative/creative music especially when it's combined with other categories. My favorite types would be dramatic sounding classical, world music, experimental electronic/techno and beyond.
- August 1, 2008 at 3:01 AM
- Erik Bongers said...
I don't listen to music while drawing as I need much more concentration for that. Once drawing is done, inking and/or painting is done with the following background noise (+/-order of pref.):
* A CD with various cello suites by Kodaly, Isaye and others, performed by Tatjana Vassilieva in a very aggresive performance.
This music get's me through difficult drawings.
* Bach's Cello Suites by Paolo Pandolofi on a Viola da Gamba(my favorite instrument)
* Film music for "Tous les matins du monde" ("All mornings of the world", a story on viola da Gamba writers and performers Monsieur de Sainte Colombe and Marin Marais, performed by Jordi Savall, my favorite Viola da Gamba player.
* "Sergio et Odair Assad play Rameau, Scarlatti, Couperin, Bach" (on guitar).
* "Alfons V el Magnànim: El Cancionero de Montecassino", 14th century religious music from Catalonia, Spain directed by Jordi Savall
* Bach Tocatta's by Angela Hewitt on piano (rather than harpsichord for which they were written)
* Mattheus Passion, directed by Philippe Herreweghe
* Faure's Requim, by Herreweghe
* Various pop/rock by dEUS, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Metallica and Tool. Yes, I do like (some) heavy metal !
But more often than listening to music, while drawing I take breaks to play some Organ music on my keyboard. (BWV 565, 913, 578)
But I'm not too good at it, I know none of the pieces to the end, and I also have no pedalboard (foot-keyboard), so I play a 'handicaped' version, except for BWV 913, which is one of the harpsichord toccata's of the Angela Hewitt CD mentioned above, and thus 'hands only'.
My ultimate goal in life is to be able to play these pieces to the end, with not too many mistakes, and this before arthrosis kicks in! - August 1, 2008 at 3:10 AM
- RAM said...
1. Music playlist for myspace
Hey, so I just made a piczo site and it looks so awesome but it seemed that something was missing. Than I realized I should add some music so my friend recommended a really cool site.www.hypster.com. It's so quick and easy,anyone could do it! In a matter of minuets I had made a account and uploaded the music onto my music player,not only that but You can also edit your music player to match your site colours! and if you don't want to upload your own music,you can search on other users playlists and take any songs you want! It works for piczo,myspace,facebook,bebo etc. check it out! www.hypster.com
Myspace Playlist" - August 1, 2008 at 3:32 AM
- poggy said...
Oh, I forgot to hit "soundtrack" too!
Anyway, I like to listen to pop/rock music when I'm drawing aimlessly and/aren't on a tight deadline. When I need to focus, oddly, I prefer putting up a dvd and listen to a film or tv series. Sometimes I'll take a five minutes break to see what's going on on screen and then get back to work. I found it helps me not to doze off over the sheet :-)
The "extreme" option is instrumental music. I like soundtracks, but also trip hop and ambient. It's the music I resort to when I have to get into that "trance" - never lift the pencil/wacom pen until I'm finished. I remember finishing a comic panel at five in the morning, and wondering what was that feeble sound in the background (I was starting to think I was hallucinating or something) - that was the last.fm radio set on "ambient", lol! I was so focused I forgot about it. - August 1, 2008 at 3:49 AM
- René PleinAir said...
I started to listen to music while painting in larger cities or urban areas, mostly to scare off some people to get a chat. After a while it becomes a habit to get out with your mp3 player. The Netherlands is a small over crowded country so there is lots to paint and visit even with a bike biking and music is a great combi, you manege to get way further with the good sound under it. After a friend passed away a year ago I noticed that music can also comfort you while painting in some difficult moments, I tend to get more sensitive when I am at work.
My favor's are for a great part Scandinavian music, such as:
Ünder byen, Eivør Pálsdóttir, Mari Boine and lately, Sigur Rós.
They have somekind of lonely feel to them, I like that. I guess that's something every artist has to cope with, ... a little abandonment. - August 1, 2008 at 4:01 AM
- Michael Kingery said...
i would like to second the vote for sigur ros... they have some phenomenal stuff. but honestly, my setup involves my cintiq tablet on my bed, my computer on my desk to the right, and i use my ipod touch as a remote, so now a days i usually turn on a smart playlist in itunes that includes all my songs with a 3/5 star rating and above. than i can just hit one button on my ipod to skip that song in itunes... its a bit convoluted but it works beautifully!
i don't really find drawing while listening to spoken word difficult, but often i don't find it driving enough. also, personally i don't really remember lyrics anyway, and a lot of my music is instrumental, post rock or soundtracks.
a few songs off the top of my head that get me going...
"Storm" by Godspeed you! Black Emperor
"The Call of the Ktulu" by Apocalyptica
"Folkloric Feel" by Apostle of Hustle
in terms of sigur ros, im in love with their new album, and takk... is a good starter as well...
anyway, rabble rabble rabble! its hard talking about music without preaching your own tune to the world :D - August 1, 2008 at 4:39 AM
- dragonladych said...
I absolutely need music when I paint. It's my main source of inspiration.
It depends on what I am drawing it can range from celtic folk music to movie soundtracks (the Lord of the Rings soundtrack is great for drawing). And rock music when I want to just let go...
My favourite music ever for drawing : Queen and Alice Cooper - August 1, 2008 at 5:26 AM
- Erik Bongers said...
Hey, lots of scandinavian music being referenced here.
Classical music as a favorite for artists is no surprise to me, but scandinavian...although in retrospect, artist are dreamy lonely types so...
If you like the young scandinavians, check out their (probably) biggest influence : Arvo Part.
Some clips:
* a wellknown tune and probably covered by some of them Scandinavian young ones.
Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in Mirror)
* Fur Alina
* Fur Alina, by composer with comments (try to count the no. of times he says 'njeutrall')
and finally:
* Prelude for a Fuge (1) - August 1, 2008 at 5:40 AM
Huh. No options for electronic and heavy metal. That kinda excludes two out of my three main listen-while-you-draw elements. And you can't vote "other" twice. :P
The third one would be listening to stand-up comedy or Top Gear videos on Youtube. That should count as "TV", guess. - August 1, 2008 at 7:29 AM
- Super Villain said...
ahhh, making art while listening to music, what a great combination. i would say i listen to music 98% of the time i'm painting. somthing about the combination that produces wonderful results.
i was in the classic rock and hip hop voting categories. but my top three bands are sublime, guns n roses, and the clash.
what is james gurney listening to when he paints? haha! - August 1, 2008 at 7:35 AM
Usually I don't listen to anything, not because I don't like music but it takes too much time to find the perfect fit to my mood. I have been listening to the Webcomics Weekly podcast http://www.halfpixel.com/ It's entertaining and informative about the business side of webcomics. I can only listen once I'm in the rendering stage though; I can't do any planning while listening to people talk.
- August 1, 2008 at 7:45 AM
- Tracy Flynn Art said...
I tend to listen to a wide variety of things while I draw or paint. I tend to gravitate mainly towards blues and jazz, but to be honest I will put in anything from Dean Martin or Sinatra to Robert Johnson to Santana, Neil Young, Elvis to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. I will also put a movie in and listen to it like it was an old radio show, and then there are the days when I want nothing but quiet.....or at least what ever is going on in my head.
As far as the pod stuff, I leave those in the basement. I haven't caught up with the world yet and still have a vast album ( 3,000 +)and cd (1,500+) collection so I still go old school and grab a bunch of stuff and keep changing them out as I go. I find that if I have to get up and change a disc, it keeps me from getting tunnel vision and forces me to step back form the work and look at it more.
Any hints as to what Jim Gurney listens too? - August 1, 2008 at 7:47 AM
- Glendon Mellow said...
For me, it is all about the speed of the music.
I paint in oil with teeny soft synthetic brushes, and I like the punctuated beats to help me along.
So, I prefer music like Jakalope, Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, Crystal Castles and Put The Rifle Down. - August 1, 2008 at 8:14 AM
I listen to radio dramas such as the twilight zone or LOTR. i have done that since i was a kid and it just gets my creative brain going for some reason. im hooked on it.
- August 1, 2008 at 8:21 AM
- John P. Baumlin said...
I usually listen to classical or jazz music while working, but it can be almost anything that helps to maintain a pace and a working mood. Long, hypnotic scores work best here. In classical, I especially love Debussy and Vaughan Williams, in jazz, Pat Metheny.
I've tried listening to radio talk shows, like Jean Shepherd's old WOR shows, but my pea brain can't handle listening to spoken language and the concentration required for painting at the same time. I've heard other artists say the same thing, although one painter friend listens to nothing but audio books while she works. So I guess everyone has their own way to keep the current going. - August 1, 2008 at 8:31 AM
- roryroryrory said...
I mostly listen to Bollywood soundtracks, whooshy Electronica, Breakcore and Speedcore Techno, and weirdy worldy music. Luckily I work on my own as there's nothing worse than having to endure someone else's music or radio choice. Naturally that works both ways and much as I enjoy my somewhat idiosyncratic selection, I wouldn't wish to subject anyone else to it.
- August 1, 2008 at 8:38 AM
- Pete said...
Since I usually paint on weekend mornings, NPR is on in the background. I always paint to "Car Talk". Though guys are always laughing which eases any frustration I might have if things are going as planned (a common occurance). I also like "The Village" on xm...mellow folksy stuff. Sometimes I just open the windows and french doors and just listen to whatever is outside.
- August 1, 2008 at 9:32 AM
- Tony Shasteen said...
When I'm illustrating, the History Channel or a commentary on a dvd works for me. If I'm designing, I can't even listen to music with lyrics, so classical works best. It's just different parts of my brain working.
- August 1, 2008 at 9:44 AM
It all depends on where I'm working. At home, its usually classic rock or blues. At school, late at night, I tend to put on old episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on my computer. Lately, I've been babysitting my baby cousins a lot... so I've been listening to Sesame Road.
- August 1, 2008 at 9:50 AM
- Andrew said...
I'll sometimes throw on a playlist that's mostly classical rock, musicals, and other sorts of things, but that's usually if I'm coloring or just doodling. When I'm drawing or inking, I like to throw on one of the best comic/concept artist podcasts around:
Sidebar nation! I'll listen to about an hour or two of interviews from that alone. I actually was listening to Paolo Rivera's interview just a couple of days ago. - August 1, 2008 at 10:34 AM
- ZD said...
Sometimes I listen to Metallica when I'm sketching. Loud music makes it makes it easier for me to ignore my surroundings and get into the zone, but it also makes my drawings more disorganized. Most of the time, I don't listen to anything. I can't listen to anything if I am working on something important. I can't listen to music while running either, I don't understand that phenomenon.
Sometimes I get images in my head when I listen to music, especially if it's classical, but even then it's easier for me to pause the music before I try to draw. If I draw while I'm listening to music it's the drawing that is helping me listen to music, not the music that is helping me draw.
I draw while listening to Pimsleur, but that's just to keep me from getting bored with Pimsleur. Dividing my attention like that doesn't produce good drawings. - August 1, 2008 at 10:58 AM
- Mark Vander Vinne said...
James, it's funny you should be talking about this when a group of artists and I were just discussing it the other night.
My favorite kind of music is heavy rock, but I find it difficult to paint to, so I listen to mellower pop music (Sting, etc) or instrumental pieces (Ottmar Liebert, etc) while painting. Lately I've been listening to stations at Pandora.com in the studio.
I recently painted a piece listening to heavy rock (Breaking Benjamin mostly) that reflected my perception of a difficult time that a friend was going through. The mood came out different but strong, and I was very proud of the piece. Also, I have been known at times to pop up the van's hatch and have music playing when painting en plein air. Though I make sure it's not annoying anyone else when I do. - August 1, 2008 at 11:48 AM
- James Gurney said...
What a lot of great comments. Orlando, sorry I missed electronic and metal. Also BBC. Thanks for the links to Sigur Ros and Arvo Part, who are new to me. Everyone is different in what they like, but we're all aware of the strange ways our brains work.
OK, you asked. I'm old school, so I listen to CDs, cassettes, and FM radio. I'm a ravenous eclectic. On the counter next to the drawing table are:
--Huun-Huut-Tu, Mongolian Tuva
--Patrick Allitt's lectures on Victorian Britain, from Great Courses
--Gone Bush, Les Gilbert's wildlife recordings from the Australian rainforest
--The Carl Stalling Project, Music from the Warner Brothers Cartoons
--Hans Zimmer's soundtrack to Gladiator
But actually 75% of what I listen to is classical. I keep coming back to Mozart's late piano concertos, Bach choral, and all four Brahms symphonies, all of which have infinite emotional depth and range for me that helps me greatly when I'm painting.
Like many of you, I can't listen to words when I'm in the early development phase, and I can't follow complex plots at all.
I admire an audio multitasker like Howard Pyle, who had his daughter read the text from his NEXT illustration assignment while he worked on the last one, so he might be imagining pirates while actually painting the Civil War. - August 1, 2008 at 11:58 AM
- Veronica Guzzardi said...
When I was in high school I used to listen to techno/electronica while I was working because the repetitiveness and fast tempo helped keep me productive.
- August 1, 2008 at 12:16 PM
- allie said...
James Brown :)
- August 1, 2008 at 12:20 PM
- Katy Hargrove said...
This American Life
Animation Podcast
I listen to podcasts and music when I need to set a tone or get my energy levels up while doing concept work and computer modeling. Once that is set I usually turn it off, but leave my headphones on because it requires patience and quiet to really focus on what you are doing. This is even more true when you are doing complex arts like animation. Brains can only do so much at once before you start watering down your focus. This seems to be more true as I get older. I wonder if anyone else has noticed that in themselves too? - August 1, 2008 at 12:22 PM
- Jason Caffoe said...
I've started listening to a lot of podcasts while I work. It's basically talk radio, but I've found a good variety of subjects and it can serve as background noise, though I still pick up most of the information.
I've found music tends to be distracting, probably because it activates the same right-brain areas as painting. - August 1, 2008 at 12:42 PM
- broker12 said...
A psychologist in whom I put great store says that music and art are the language of the soul. Studies show that students who listen to Mozart before taking a test increase their scores by up to a full 10%. So, since I like classical music in general, and Mozart in parrticular,I'm hoping that connecting in a two-pronged way to the language of my soul will help my pursuit of art.
- August 1, 2008 at 12:44 PM
- broker12 said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- August 1, 2008 at 12:46 PM
- Erik Bongers said...
Spamming a tune again, but I can't help myself.
Just found out that my favorite Viola da Gamba piece is on youtube.
You can see Mr. De Sainte Colombe playing his own composition while remembering his dead wife.
The piece is called Les Pleurs (The Tears)
Now you understand why the Viola da Gamba is my favorite instrument. - August 1, 2008 at 1:25 PM
While I love to listen to music while sketching or painting, what I like best is to listen to people talking (or to talk with them), which is something I probably learned from formal art classes... where you become accustomed to people wandering from easel to easel, commenting on one another's work. The background noise of other artist's talking, or the familiarity of talking with another artist while working, has always felt the most comfortable for me.
Unfortunately, after leaving such art classes behind I discovered that having other artists to talk to while working is a rare luxury. I often feel very isolated! - August 1, 2008 at 1:49 PM
I listen to whatever makes it onto my iPod, or I turn on the TV (which can be annoying since nothing good ever seems to be on). I usually go for music that invokes my imagination, like the soundtrack for Spirited Away, Cirque du Soleil, or music in different languages so that I don't get too distracted by someone talking. I'm pretty good at multi-tasking and concentrating on stuff to the exclusion of most other things. I think this is why I have sleep-onset insomnia, because I just can't stop thinking about stuff...
- Tidah - August 1, 2008 at 2:17 PM
- Chelsea said...
I get so distracted when music or the tv is on while painting. But I do here the street below me, muffled snipits of conversation, cars and trucks. that's fine.
I like the idea that music may increase my creativity. Perhaps some classical or non verbal stuff. - August 1, 2008 at 3:56 PM
- Super Villain said...
did anyone else notice that the voting percentages total is at 316% right now, haha!?!???
- August 1, 2008 at 4:52 PM
- Rich Pellegrino said...
Great topic! Music is a large part of my process. I tend to listen to old electric blues (muddy, Albert King lately)and early classic rock (mainly Hendrix and Lennon's Plastic Ono Band recently). What I listen to depends solely on my mood though. Fast, slow, instrumentals whatever...If my mood does not match up with what I'm working on it throws me off course. I've found a great website that has soundboard quality music of rare concert recordings. I've been placing a few embedded files of my current favorites on my blog. I think it's a cool feature. Check it out.
http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/ - August 1, 2008 at 5:38 PM
- Unknown said...
Classic oldies seems to fit the tone of what I do now. I also sometimes listen to the tv news as I work. When I was doing more "serious" work, I preferred Baroque.
Here's another way music relates to my work. Every time I post an entry on my blog, I pick a classic rock song that "matches" it. On my blog, I have a playlist that begins playing whatever song I choose. I call it Andar Radio.
For my University comic, I chose "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis ("I'm caught in a trap, I can't walk out")
For my Sandstorm comic, I chose "Another One Bites the dust".
This may not amuse anyone else, but it cracks me up to no end. Sometimes, they are just okay, other times, the song fits perfect! - August 1, 2008 at 7:36 PM
- Dianne Mize said...
Sometimes when I'm working, I need to be quiet, other times I listen to Chopin, Bach (especially a la Yo Yo Ma), Mozart, Beethovan, Vivaldi or Haydn. Nothing funny about that except the dog sometimes howls when a high pitched violin solo comes on.
- August 1, 2008 at 8:00 PM
- Unknown said...
The only thing I can't listen to is Beethoven. There are to many distracting notes. He constantly demands your attention. I love Beethoven though. Mozart's music is much more polite, it settles into pleasant background noise but not in a muzak way. I LOVE Part Erik! Folk music too, I've really been enjoying folkalley.com.It has hosts and radio without hosts creeps me out. It's like robot radio. Brrr.
- August 1, 2008 at 8:38 PM
- The New Gray Mare said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- August 1, 2008 at 9:52 PM
- Ben Zweifel said...
all kinds of funny and all round good listening. - August 1, 2008 at 10:07 PM
- The New Gray Mare said...
Wow. I am amazed at the vast responses on this particular topic!
Music is very much a part of the creative process for me. I have to have some sort of music playing while thinking about a project and actually working on it. Music helps me relax into the creative mood and stay there far longer than I normally would. I tend to not listen to the radio at all but put in some CD's or my MP3 player. As for what I like, it's mostly soundtracks, folk, or medieval rock. I do like some techno and trance too, depending on what I'm working on.
Some good music: The Riddle, by Gigi D'agostino
Shadow of the Moon, by Blackmore's Night
Rhiannon, by Faun
Nocturne, by Secret Garden
A&E by Goldfrapp (by the way, this one has an awesome video that you may want to watch the whole way through).
And, on occasion, something totally silly like Combine Harvester by the Wurzels.
I also love Enya, Moya Brennan, Nicholas Gunn, Apoptygma Berzerk, Epica, Within Temptation, and Nightwish. Sometimes, I'll just throw all of these artists on my MP3 playlist and hit random.
Many thanks to Erik Bongers for suggesting the Viola da Gamba music! It is an extremely beautiful instrument. I used to play the cello because I love that deep, vibrating, mournful sound. - August 1, 2008 at 10:26 PM
- Dave H said...
I am sometimes distracted by music that I really like. If I listen to early Joe Jackson or the Boomtown Rats(personal favorites from my formative years)I find myself "air-drumming" when I should be drawing. On the other hand, I try to avoid songs that affect me emotionally (Rachel Delevoryas by Randy Stonehill comes to mind) because I lose my concentration.
I have tried using music that reflects the mood of the piece I'm working on. Primus and David Bowie for crazy scifi action. More mellow stuff for calmer pictures. I'm not sure how much it actually affects the work. - August 2, 2008 at 1:40 AM
- Christy Morgan B said...
My professors are really against music b/c they say its distracting. But few students follow through on that rule.
Ive come to learn that in the beginning stages of a project like planning perspective and structure i have to concentrate the most and can only listen to music with no words- i prefer movie soundtracks that fit the theme of my current project (adventure, horror, majesty, ect ect)
Once i get to a painting or the tonal stage, adding in details, all the fun stuff, i can listen to whatever i want and audio books arent much of a distraction, but i often have to relisten to chapters b/c im so into my art.
But i need music, it keeps me in my chair, otherwise i constantly get up and walk away as if more distracted by the silence. - August 2, 2008 at 2:16 PM
- craigstephens said...
This is a great topic. I came to it a bit late though. When I'm painting outside I don't use headphones. I like to hear whatever is going on in the environment. When I'm in my studio I like the "This American Life" podcast or the "Radio Lab" podcast.
For music lately I've been listening to the National and Tom Waits. I find listening doesn't hurt my concentration but talking sure does. Sometimes if I'm not listening to anything and my wife or son starts to talk to me the first few words sound like absolute gibberish until my left brain kicks in and starts translating for me. I end up saying what? even though I could hear perfectly well. I just didn't understand. It understandably drives my family nuts.
For some reason if I start out listening to a podcast I have no trouble understanding it and still painting. - August 2, 2008 at 9:21 PM
- tlchang said...
So many interesting responses!
I work better with *something* coming into my ears (I think it keeps my left brain busy so that my right brain can do its thing).
I listen to music (lots of soundtracks, musicals and folk/Celtic/classic rock) in the early drawing/designing stage. After that, especially when there are many hours of painting to follow, I do best with audiobooks or TV series from Netflicks (it's British murder mysteries right now) so that I can be tricked into very lengthy studio stints. - August 2, 2008 at 11:55 PM
I like to listen to the podcast Writing Excuses by Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells and Howard Tayler.
It's a great weekly 15-minute podcast about all things involved in creating stories and other writerly things. It's brilliant for when I'm up late at night doing some monotonous colouring and I want to keep my mind active and inspired.
:) - August 3, 2008 at 9:19 AM
I like folk and classical because they don't distract me too much, but Inspector Rex on the tv in the background works too, but not British comedy because I have to keep getting up to go out and see what's happening. I know some people who listen to the commentary tracks & other extras on DVDs when they're painting - if I owned more I might do that.
- August 3, 2008 at 6:21 PM
This topic just gave me a great idea: Next time I'm going to paint, I will spend just as much time preparing the palette as I do selecting the appropriate music. That's another way to say that I need to really think about my palette ...
When I was younger, I always heard music all the time, when I was doing something. Nowadays, I tend to prefer silence, if I really need to concentrate on something specific, but I like music, if I am doing something where my thoughts can wander a bit more. Currently, I am doing some Charles Bargue-exercises - I can't listen to music when I begin, but after a while, I sort of get into the "Bargue mood", and then I put something on.
I listen to a lot of folk music, in particular klezmer and Greek "dimotika" or "rembetika". Other favourites include The Doors, David Bowie, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.
@Erik Bongers: Thank you for reminding me about "Tous les matins du monde"! I saw it many years ago. It is such a beautiful film, with wonderful, otherworldly music.
I'm on the Scandinavian bandwagon as well. Not surprising, as I am Danish myself. Favourites include Hedningarna, Garmarna and Gåte. Also a band called Mushi, little known even here.
@René Pleinair: Funny to see that Under Byen seem to be pretty well known outside Denmark - way more than many bands who sing in English and try to sound "international", hoping to make it worldwide. Sort of ironic, or maybe rather proof that one should be honest to oneself rather than try to predict what will be succesful. By the way, there is no "umlaut" (¨) in the name Under Byen - we don't have umlauts in Danish ;-) - August 4, 2008 at 6:16 AM
- Justin said...
I enjoy anything high-energy and powerful, even if it isn't typically considered "good" music, it really keeps me positive and on the right track. Sometimes it's techno, sometimes it's punk, sometimes it's hip-hop. There are the occasional times I love listening to just ambient music mixes, kind of like harmonious white noise.
- August 5, 2008 at 3:18 PM
- zeladoniac said...
I'm an avid listener/painter and I'm wondering if anyone else experiences this as well:
you're listening to your favorite music or audio book while painting, then a day or two passes between painting sessions. When you return to the easel, the memory of whatever you were listening to in the first session comes into your mind as though it were playing again.
Is anyone else experiencing this?
And thanks for the great recommendations and links! - December 18, 2009 at 1:56 PM
- josembielza said...
I've ripped my CDs and prepared a selection of 80's pop & rock. Some soul and blues. Soundtracks. That's for cartooning. For some serious work, I have a selection of sacred music of the 16th century, mainly Tomas Luis de Victoria requiems.
- December 18, 2009 at 5:17 PM
- groperofeuropa said...
I generally go for almost invisible music from soundtracks like
-The Fountain
by Clint Mansell and
by Klaus Badelt. No words, just mood setting stuff. You can listen to them on www.last.fm by navigating to their profiles for a sample. The
-Myst game Soundtracks
are fantastic too. The first two are a little too heavily electronic and primitive, but Myst III, IV, V and Uru are all great to escape into when you're trying to invent a scene or subject. Theyre explorative games so they're devoid of abrasive battle music and generally just sound intrigueing. I generally go for soundtracks rather than albums as theyre there to set a mood and not to get a message across. I steer clear of soundtracks for movies I watch all the time as well, or they end up influencing what I make :/
Philip Glass can be great. Post Minimalist music kind of cancels out the background noise without influencing your mood very much. Try
- Solo Piano (Philip Glass)
if you're interested. The tracks are incredibly similar, bar some key changes and little trills. It means you can listen to what is essentially a song with a coherent theme for a little under an hour without growing bored of it. Grows on you like moss.
-Elgar's Enigma Variations
-Holst's The Planets
are both stupidly beautiful as well, and apart from a couple of Holst's, work well in the background without too many sudden climaxes that shock you out of whatever you were doing.
I'm making up some compilation-type playlists at the moment so I can have soundtracks that match the emotion of what I'm making. Not sure whether thats the right way of going about it. I know Robin Hobb sits in complete silence when she writes. I imagine you could get some interference while working, thinking that what you're making is giving you the right response, rather than it really being the music.
I've listened to audiobooks most of the time while im painting in the past, but have decided to stop completely. It feels like I'm multitasking, but in fact I think I'm unknowingly relinquishing my ability to properly consider the painting as I work on it, as I'm too busy comprehending the book to think about whether the perspective makes the guy in the foreground look too big, or the shadow behind that small building is dragging all the focus away from where I want it. I end up with an almost finished render and realise that there are one or two fundamental flaws with the image that I have to go back and rework, which makes everything take twice as long. I look back at the painting when its done and each little section reminds me of a scene from the book and I think "well it took way longer than it should have but at least I got through half the bloody Foundation series"... Yes. - January 19, 2010 at 3:11 AM
- Thiruppathy Raja said...
Thank you for posting such a useful, impressive and a wicked article./Wow.. looking good
oil painting on canvas - December 17, 2010 at 5:29 AM


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question...mom to mom, more of a plea actually for much needed advice before I go insane. How do you get a 7 yr old to swallow a pill? Its Concerta for ADD so it cant be broken or chewed. I need help :( - Kristy
Ah yes, there comes a time when, because of your age and weight, if you choose not to swallow a pill, you'll need to drink 1 1/2 cups of liquid penicilin. So, it's a good reason to teach your kids how to swallow a pill. I was horrible with this as a kid. My mom had me practice by swallowing dragees. Then I moved up to Red Hots. I've also heard that swallowing a pill with a little pop works because the carbonation helps so that you don't really feel the pill going down. It's hard when it's a time-release medication that can't be cut in half or broken or chewed at all. Maybe another reader has a good idea that could help. Good luck!
One of the best things my husband and I have ever done was going on a cruise to the Caribbean with Royal Caibbean. Our 25th is next year and we hope we can go on another one only to different islands. You and your hubby deserve to do that after your hectic year you are having! Just disappear for awhile. Brenda
LOL! Funny you should say this. Joe and I went on a cruise for our tenth anniversary. It was my ideal vacation. Lying in the sun, drinking rum, and doing nothing more strenuous than reading. My husband, on the other hand, was so bored he ended up asking the maintenance guys if he could help fix leaky faucets, broken pumps, and the hydraulic winch. Needless to say, that was his first and last cruise. We talked about going for a little weekend getaway, but I'm sure you can guess how many people offered to watch the kids.
Sunday sound out ? What is your favorite meal to make that everyone will eat. I have a problem in that with 5 kids I normally have one that hates whateer I am making and I make them something different. - plainprecious
I haven't forgotten about the other requests for meal/shopping/cooking/budget ideas. I will get to it soon. Promise. All I'll say now is that if my kids don't like what I've cooked for dinner, they're free to make themselves a sandwich after they've at least tried a couple bites, but I will not make multiple meals.
do people who live in such frigidity actually bother to shave their legs at all in the wintertime?? When it's cold here in Florida, & I'm just wearing jeans everyday, then who cares how unsightly one's legs get??? - FLmomto4
LOL! Well, I have no idea what other people do, but I shave every day because I'm just insane that way. I never want to see a Chia Pet growing out of my legs.
Do they make a red food coloring like that? I've been hoping for something that would actually make white frosting into red frosting ever since the Pink Spiderman Birthday Cake Incident of 2005. - Amie
Ooooo! Ooooo! Ooooo! I know this one, Mr. Kotter!
Use powdered colors! They give your icing a much deeper color without diluting it. Or you can also use a packet of cherry Kool-Aid to color your icing. I don't recommend this if you're covering a large area of cake with it because it tastes funky in my opinion. Another great way to darken your icing so Elmo, Lightning McQueen, and Spiderman aren't pink is to make it up a few days ahead of time and let it set in your fridge. It'll darken up a bit over time.
Hi Dawn, Oh My gosh...What a mess! Were there faces red for along time too? Was this in the summer months? It could have looked like a really bad sunburn. Or did the kids have to go to school that way? LOL..Oh and I think I saw that chair at the goodwill store. - Kristine in Michigan
It was really dark, their skin stayed stained for days, and no it wasn't in the summer. It happened when Austin was 3 and Savannah was 2 and it was the first day of Parent's Day Out at my church. It was fun taking my muti-colored children there that day.
Loved reading your FAQ Dawn! The rum is in the mail.... VanDerHoekArt
Woooo Hoooo!!!!!!!
thanks for spelling "definitely" correctly. it really bugs me when people don't. bugs me to the point that i, without meaning to, lose a little respect for said people. i realize that's weird. - Chunk
You're welcome. Thank you for capitalizing correctly. ;)
I too have a clotting disorder and am pregnant again and doing the blood thinner shots everyday. What clotting disorder do you have exactly? - Ramilin
I have Prothrombin gene mutation.
So, where are the pictures?!? -another mom
Patience, young Jedi. I just had them taken. I should get them next week.
Are you ready for the snow tomorrow? Kathi S.
Ugh. We've had so much snow this season already. I hate snow. I hate winter. I hate cold. Have I mentioned that I'm moving to Aruba yet? Speaking of snow, here are some pictures...
Austin & Savannah in the snow fort they spent 3 hours making.
Looking up from inside
The outside
Dawn, I hope you included your husband in a few photos - it would be nice to have some family photos for later in life - that include everyone!!!!! We take professional photos each year of our son, but every other year, it is also a family shoot - with us in it also!
I can't wait to see your book - and your beautiful photo! - Pam (Seattle)
Nah, not in these pictures. I wasn't thrilled with the way they turned out and I didn't buy any actual prints anyway. I just bought the rights to two pictures. We do a family photo every couple years and Joe is in all the pictures with the kids because I'm the chief photographer.
My resolution was to go on a "no pepsi" diet. Figuring if I cut out those calories I wouldn't have to do a real diet. It has been amended to "no pepsi before 8 p.m." I really need it for my rum drink. You can't drink rum straight, right? - Patty, MD
You can't? Seriously? Aw man, I've been doing it wrong.
Dawn wrote: "11. I will finish things that I start.
This is now, "I will finish things that I start within a"
Within a what??? Don't leave us hangin' girl!!! : P - Becca
Oh sure, I'll be happy to finish this in just
In a land dominated by those of the female persuasion I feel it my duty to be the advocate for Joe. Give him the hard working man more of your time. Swap him with the "girl friends" place on your list. And be sure to tell him that I'm on his side. - Rick
As much as I'd love to spend an evening listening to Joe's "if a monkey bit you" questions, you might remember that I have 6 kids and cannot leave them home alone.
A question for Sunday: Who are your favorite authors? - Georgetta
Does Dawn Meehan count? LOL!
I really don't get the chance to read very much. I wouldn't even say that I have any favorite authors. I've always liked Mark Twain though.
What a NEAT outfit!??! Where did you find something like that?? Lowa
It's cute, isn't it? I got it here.
That was adorable. What a happy girl Brooklyn is! She reminds me of my own youngest who is 22 mos. I *LOVE* this age. I was trying to remember if you've ever said how old Brooklyn is? - Polly
Brooklyn will be two this month. And "happy" isn't quite the adjective I'd use to describe her. Stubborn, spoiled, and cranky are words that fit her a little better.
I haven't been checking out your side
adds for a while. Imagine my surprise when I ran into the section for all those awards you have won.
How long has that been there? - korkie
Those aren't actually awards. At least not yet. They're nominations. Go ahead, click on them, and vote for any and all categories if you're so moved. :) Thanks!
Now, I'm off to watch


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Devil in the Data: Making the FATCA Deadline Requires Automation
Amidst the 540 pages of FATCA regulation, companies can quickly discern two important implications for their business: it will add time and cost to ensure compliance is met by the first January 2014 deadline. As discussed in our previous article, compliance with FATCA is likely to increase the time required for investment managers to onboard a new client, which can already take 30 to 60 days. The complex customer due diligence requirements investment managers are required to comply with, and factors such as multi-nationals utilizing a spectrum of financial products, multiple geographies and various risk factors defined by the Anti-Money Laundering compliance program, will affect client onboarding productivity. Additional increases in time and cost around FATCA compliance include:
- Implementing change, especially in siloed organizations - Impact on Customer Experience - Potential transition from manual Know Your Customer process to automation - Lack of existing core banking, information management and compliance system agility - Technology Enhancements
Given the looming deadline, volume of transactions and accounts involved, along with the training required on the new on-boarding program, taking advantage of technology to automate and accelerate the process is the best way to reduce costs and ensure compliance. There are three key elements to consider when making sure your technology solution achieves its full automation and accelerated compliance potential.
The first element is to make sure that the technology solution is centralized. To centralize the technology solution for FATCA compliance, institutions must ensure:
- Enterprise technology Integration (i.e., on-boarding systems, CIF, CRM, End to End Sales Process) - Unified KYC and Client On-boarding Information/Case Management - Full or 360 view of the customer institution wide - Ability to reuse customer information (KYC, CDD, EDD) in tangent with rule-based automation
Another reason on why centralizing the process is important is that many of the current and emerging regulations are based on identification type information. For example, AML/KYC, Suitability, FATCA and many of the new Dodd-Frank legislation are building a centralized system that allows a financial institution to leverage their existing technology. This allows them to address new and changing regulatory programs quickly and efficiently.
Multinational institutions must solve the complex problem of establishing and maintaining compliance in each geography and product line not exempted from FATCA law. Many companies have approached the issue by allowing each line of business to develop its own solution. However, trying to access different data silos in different lines of business is complex and sorting through transactions across multiple countries to ensure the proper information is reported will be an incredibly challenging task. Simply put, having one global approach and centralized repository with country-specific processes is far more efficient than trying to integrate a number of siloed solutions. In addition, by having each siloed group performing their own due diligence increases the chances that a customer who has multiple accounts at the same financial institution may be treated differently thus opening the financial institution to inquiries and possible fines.
Secondly, rules-based technology combined with system-embedded FATCA expertise customized specifically for the financial institutions FATCA risk profile and acceptable tolerance can significantly reduce costs and time-to-revenue while streamlining operations. By tapping into the necessary legal knowledge up front, banks can implement a rules-based technology solution that will automate the vast majority of processing around client data, performing due diligence, reporting, withholding record-keeping, validation and audit. For banks operating in multiple countries, the solution will need country-specific legal advice.
Finally, in considering automation alternatives, banks know that changing front-end processes, core banking and onboarding systems to accommodate varied transactions is a significant effort that can be high risk and slow to complete. The approach should be coordinated in the least disruptive way possible. A "plug in" solution that leverages existing systems and is capable of communicating with existing technology may be faster and more flexible in the long run.
The technology and automation components of the FATCA solution can make a significant difference in the overall cost and time investment the financial institution must make to implement and sustain FATCA compliance. In aggregate, a robust, future-proof FATCA compliance system should: - Comply with local and U.S. requirements; - Automate applicable FATCA exemptions; - Manage complex rules across multiple jurisdictions, lines of business and products; - Manage and automate pre-existing account due diligence requirements; - Sustain reporting, withholding, verification and record keeping protocols; and - Include strategic flexibility to build on your institution's existing Know Your Customer (KYC) systems. You may be able to use existing data captured for AML and KYC regulations. - Be leveraged for additional identification based regulations;
Through rules-based technology that enables automation and straight-through processing companies will be well on their way to efficiently and cost-effectively manage FATCA, IGAs and other future regulatory requirements.
Erik Christensen is the vice president and head of compliance practice, and Aaron Kahler is the director of anti-money laundering compliance, at Capgemini Financial Services.


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Radar is an acronym that stands for RAdio Detection And Ranging. A weather radar consists of a parabolic dish (it looks like a satellite dish) encased in a protective dome and mounted on a tower of up to five stories tall. About 150 NEXRAD (NEXt generation of weather RADar) Doppler radars were installed throughout the U.S. in the 1990s. The radar itself does not delineate between rain and snow but AccuWeather's proprietary algorithms do, based on atmospheric conditions. The state-level Snow/Ice/Rain (Standard) radar images update every 5 minutes on AccuWeather.com Premium, which also gives access to longer loops of radar data. The exclusive AccuWeather.com StormTimer(tm) plots the expected movement of significant storms over the next hour, and also gives access to storm details like hail and rotation. AccuWeather.com RadarPlus offers an interactive weather experience with street-level radar, satellite and lightning data, as well as PredictiveRadar which moves the current radar picture 4 hours into the future.
Source: www.accuweather.com
Virginia Weather, Do You Want Money?? And Virginia P.M.S.ING
West Virginia Weather on December 21 2012
BREAKING WEATHER: Thundersnow in Central Virginia (2/11/12)


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Will Political Protests Be the Main Highlight of Sochi 2014?
The Huffington Post reports, "Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree banning demonstrations and rallies for two and a half months in Sochi around the 2014 Winter Olympics.
(A demonstrator holds a poster depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin with make-up as he protests against homophobia and repression against gays in Russia, in front of the Russian Embassy in Madrid on August 23, 2013. GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images)
The Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official government newspaper, published the presidential decree Friday, listing an array of measures tightening security in the Olympic host city, including the ban on public assemblies. All "gatherings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and pickets" that are not part of the Olympics or the Paralympics will be prohibited in Sochi from Jan. 7 to March 21, the decree said.
The Winter Olympics is taking place Feb. 7-23 in the Black Sea resort, and the Paralympics are being held March 7-16.
Government-imposed protest bans across entire cities where Olympics are held are unusual. Putin's decree could be aimed at heading off demonstrations against Russia's ban on alleged gay propaganda, a new law that has been sharply criticized in the West.
Among other measures in the decree are restrictions on vehicles entering Sochi. Only cars with local license plates, emergency vehicles and those accredited by the Olympic organizers will be allowed to enter the host city between Jan. 7 and March 21.
Rights organizations have voiced concerns about what they described as the "harassment and intimidation of civil society" advocates in Sochi. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that environmental, human rights and other activists have been "the targets of attacks, detention for peaceful protests and police searches."
The International Olympic Committee received a letter Thursday from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak giving assurances that the host country will comply with the Olympic Charter's provision against discrimination of any kind. The letter, however, defended Russia's new anti-gay law and said it would be enforced.
International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge said Friday that he is "comforted" by Russia's assurance the charter's ban on discrimination will be respected.
"We are going to inform now all the national Olympic committees and all the athletes who want to have clarity," Rogge told reporters after addressing the U.N. General Assembly.
Gay activist Nikolai Alexeyev told The Associated Press on Friday that he would petition the Supreme Court next week to contest the presidential decree banning rallies in Sochi as "violating our right of freedom of assembly."
Russian authorities have repeatedly denied gay activists' applications to set up a Pride House in Sochi during the games, but Alexeyev said he would apply for permission to hold a gay pride rally in Sochi on the opening day of the games anyway."


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Frustrated Democrats lamented Wednesday that persistent problems with new health care exchanges have inflicted damage on the public's perception of the already unpopular "Obamacare" — with some lawmakers insisting President Barack Obama should ensure those responsible lose their jobs.
Emerging from a closed-door briefing with health officials from the Obama administration, House Democrats appeared to have at least as many questions as answers about how and when the beleaguered website will be fixed. Although they resolved not to let setbacks with one aspect of the health law outshine the parts that are working, they griped that the shoddy website had given Republicans an opening to do just that.
"I think the president needs to man up, find out who was responsible and fire them," Rep. Richard Nolan, D-Minn., said after the briefing. He said Obama should tell Democrats when the problems will be fixed so they can prepare to move on. "You don't get many second chances to get a good first impression."
Nolan wasn't the only one.
"Somebody should be held accountable," said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif. "Absolutely."
The briefing with House Democrats came as the Obama administration is appealing to its allies in Congress, on Wall Street and across the country to stick with the health care law despite embarrassing problems that continue to crop up. On Wednesday, lawmakers heard from Gary Cohen and Julie Bataille, two high-level officials with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal agency with major responsibility for the website where millions of Americans are expected to purchase insurance.
Democrats say they requested the briefing. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said House Republicans were arranging to hold a similar briefing with health officials in the coming days.
Echoing Democratic leaders and even Obama himself, Democrats said it was unacceptable that the website's debut had been so flawed. But Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said it was critical Democrats not lose sight of the bigger picture and law's other benefits.
"It's regrettable. It can't be accepted. Gotta move on," DeLauro said.
Obama has turned to longtime adviser Jeffrey Zients, a veteran management consultant, to provide advice to help fix the system. And Obama has said he's instituted a "tech surge," bringing in leading technology talent to repair the painfully slow and often unresponsive website. But the administration has repeatedly declined to say how long that will take, raising questions about whether the full extent of the problems has been fully determined.
"They were reluctant to give a date — I don't blame them — on the fixes," said Rep. Janice Schakowsky, D-Ill. But they said the problems would be fixed in time for people to get enrolled by Jan. 1, the day that coverage through the exchanges begins.
The website's troubled debut was overshadowed by the partial government shutdown that started the same day the website went live. Last week, Obama and Democrats walked away from a no-holds-barred fight with Republicans over debt and spending with a remarkable degree of unity, made all the more prominent by the deep GOP divisions the standoff revealed.
The debt-and-spending crisis averted for now, the spotlight has shifted to Obama's health care law and the web-based exchanges, beset by malfunctions, where Americans are supposed to be able to shop for insurance. The intensified focus has increased the pressure on Democrats to distance themselves from Obama's handling of the website's rollout as both parties demand to know what went wrong and why.
As the administration races to fix the website, it's deploying the president and top officials to urge his supporters not to give up.
"By now you have probably heard that the website has not worked as smoothly as it was supposed to," Obama said Tuesday in a video message recorded for Organizing for America, a nonprofit group whose mission is to support Obama's agenda. "But we've got people working overtime in a tech surge to boost capacity and address the problems. And we are going to get it fixed."
The group has been organizing a multitude of events and social media campaigns around the health care law's implementation. OFA said those efforts will continue, but the group is not adjusting its strategy in response to the website's issues.
Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden and top White House officials held a call with business leaders Tuesday about the health law and other issues. Business Forward, a trade group friendly to the White House, said the administration asked the group to invite leaders to hear directly from Biden.