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JOSE TELLADO AND MARIA TELLADO, Plaintiffs,
INDYMAC MORTGAGE SERVICES, a division of OneWest Bank, FSB, Defendant.
Civil Action No. 09-5022.
United States District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania.
August 8, 2011.
PETRESE B. TUCKER, District Judge.
After a bench trial in this matter on November 8, 2010, and pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 52(a), the Court makes the following Findings of Fact:
1. This is an action for damages in connection with the mortgage refinancing services received by Plaintiffs, Jose and Maria Tellado, for their residential real property located at 519 Morris Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the "Property").
2. Plaintiffs, who are husband and wife, are also low-income senior citizens who speak primarily Spanish.
3. On or around June 2007, Plaintiff Jose Tellado heard a Spanish-language radio advertisement for mortgage refinance services. Plaintiff Mr. Tellado called the telephone number provided in the advertisement and reached a man named Carlos Enrique, and the two conversed exclusively in Spanish.
4. Mr. Enrique assisted Plaintiff Jose Tellado with the submission of a loan application. Mr. Enrique also arranged for a closing agent to visit the Tellado home with the loan documents.
5. On July 3, 2007, Mr. Philip Bloom, a closing agent and notary, came to the Property with the loan documents. Mr. Bloom acted as a representative of Indymac Bank, F.S.B., and had been provided instructions on how to conduct the loan closing. Plaintiffs received a copy of these instructions.
6. Plaintiffs saw the final loan terms for the first time in their home at closing.
7. The loan transaction, from the initial contact with Mr. Enrique until the loan closing, was conducted in Spanish.
8. The loan documents provided at the loan closing, including the Note, the Mortgage, and the Notice of Right to Cancel, were provided in English.
9. One of the loan documents received by the Plaintiffs was a Notice of Right to Cancel, a model form mandated by the Truth in Lending Regulation Z, referenced in section 226.23 of title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Appendix H.
10. Plaintiffs' daughter, Marcelina Fuster, was present at the closing, at the suggestion of Mr. Enrique, to act as an interpreter. She assisted in translating the closing agent's verbal instructions, as well as his explanations of the loan documents, from English to Spanish for the Plaintiffs. Ms. Fuster did not have the opportunity to read, nor to translate the loan documents themselves.
11. Plaintiffs are unable to read English and did not understand the contents of the documents that they were signing at closing. At the time of the closing, Plaintiffs had the intention of entering into a fixed rate mortgage. Plaintiffs were unaware that the first ten years of payments under the loan would not be applied to the principal, that the loan had an adjustable rate, or that the loan documents contained falsified information concerning their monthly income.
12. In connection with the July 3, 2007 transaction, Plaintiffs purchased the mortgage refinancing services for a price in excess of $25. The original lender in this transaction was Indymac Bank, F.S.B.
13. Subsequently, on July 11, 2008, Indymac Bank, F.S.B. went into receivership, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was appointed its receiver. As a result, certain assets and liabilities of Indymac Bank, F.S.B., including the Plaintiffs' mortgage loan, were transferred to Indymac Federal Bank, F.S.B., for which the FDIC served as conservator.
14. Under a Master Purchase Agreement (the "MPA") dated March 18, 2009, Defendant OneWest Bank, FSB ("OneWest Bank"), acquired the Plaintiffs' loan, formerly held by Indymac Bank, F.S.B., from the FDIC.
15. In the MPA, Defendant agreed to assume certain liabilities associated with loans acquired from the FDIC. In Section 4.02 of the MPA, there are enumerated certain liabilities that the Defendant did not assume, however, such excluded liabilities are unclear, as Schedule 4.02(a) referenced in the MPA detailing excluded liabilities was not provided to the Court.
16. On August 5, 2009, Plaintiffs sent a Notice of Cancellation to Indymac Mortgage Services, a division of Defendant OneWest Bank, alerting the entity of Plaintiffs' intention to file suit if a favorable response was not received within ten (10) days.
17. OneWest Bank failed to provide any response to the Notice of Cancellation within (10) ten days after receiving such notice. OneWest Bank responded to Plaintiffs in a letter dated October 15, 2009, denying Plaintiffs' request to rescind the mortgage loan transaction.
18. After commencing this action on August 24, 2009, Plaintiffs began escrowing their monthly payments.
19. Plaintiffs ceased escrowing payments upon receipt from OneWest Bank of a Notice of Intention to Foreclose. Plaintiffs continued to make monthly payments to prevent foreclosure on the Property during the pendency of this action.
20. As of November 8, 2010, the bench trial date in this matter, Plaintiffs were up to date on their payment obligations under the loan at issue.
21. Plaintiffs seek:
a) Determination that the mortgage on their home is void following their submission to OneWest Bank of a notice of cancellation, as required under 73 P.S. § 201-7(g).
b) Determination that, by failing to honor the Notice of Cancellation and inform Plaintiffs of their intent to collect the proceeds of the loan within ten (10) business days as required under 73 P.S. § 201-7 (g), OneWest Bank has forfeited the right to any further payment.
c) If the mortgage is not cancelled, Plaintiffs seek in the alternative triple damages based on the amount of refunded payments they would have received, and the security instrument that would have been terminated if Defendant had taken the appropriate steps to cancel the loan as follows:
i) Triple damages based on the amount of payments made by Plaintiffs to date, at least $30,043.36, for a total of $90,130.08, pursuant to 73 P.S. § 201-9.2(a).
ii) Actual damages in the amount of the security instrument that OneWest failed to terminate, and which OneWest retains as a lien against Plaintiff's home, in the amount of $115,000.00, pursuant to 73 P.S. § 201-9.2(a).
Conclusions of Law
A. Plaintiffs Asserted a Valid Claim for Damages Arising From OneWest's Failure to Cancel the Mortgage Transaction
1. A Federal Law Preempts only State Law Directly in Conflict with the Scope of Such Federal Law
a) Generally, the law of preemption, which has its roots in the Supremacy Clause, dictates that federal law preempts state law when Congress has shown intent to create federal regulation in a particular field so pervasive as to leave no room for state supplementation.
b) Pursuant to 12 C.F.R § 545.2, The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) has the "plenary and exclusive power . . . to regulate all aspects of the operations of Federal savings associations, as set forth in section 5(a) of the [Home Owners Loan] Act. This exercise of the Office's authority is preemptive of any state law purporting to address the subject of the operations of a Federal savings association."
c) The OTS, however, makes an exception for, inter alia, state contract and commercial laws which only incidentally affect the lending operations of Federal savings associations or are otherwise consistent with the purpose of the regulation. 12 C.F.R. § 560.2(c)(1).
d) While the Third Circuit has not yet ruled on the preemptive relationship between the Home Owners Loan Act ("HOLA") and the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, 73 P.S. §201-7 ("UTPCPL"), the Southern District of New York held that the New York Consumer Fraud Statute is not directly aimed at lenders, and has only an incidental impact on lending relationships without creating any conflict with the federal objectives identified in 12 C.F.R. § 560.2. Binetti v. Wash. Mut. Bank, 446 F. Supp. 2d 217 (S.D.N.Y. 2006).
e) In Binetti, the Southern District of New York pointed to a December 24, 1996, OTS opinion which concluded that the New York Consumer Fraud Statute is the type of commercial law designed to "establish the basic norms that undergird commercial transactions" that the OTS has indicated it does not intend to preempt. Id. at 219.
f) A state law that generally dictates the underpinnings of fair trade practices is distinguishable from a state law that is directly aimed at lenders, which courts See have consistently held to be preempted by HOLA and similar federal acts. Binetti v. Wash Mut. Bank at 220 (citing 1999 OTS LEXIS 4).
g) The Court, finding Binetti instructive, holds thatthe Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law ("UTPCPL") governs the customs and practices surrounding commercial transactions generally, and thus is not preempted by HOLA.
h) Similarly, the UTPCPL is not preempted by the Truth in Lending Act.
I) The Truth in Lending Act preempts state law only where the state law is in conflict. Jamal v. WMC Mortg. Corp., 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5076 (E.D. Pa. Mar. 28, 2005).
j) As noted in Jamal, "the TILA provides in relevant part at 15 U.S.C. § 1610(a)(1),
`Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section [relating credit and charge card application and solicitation disclosures], this part and parts B and C of this subchapter do not annul, alter, or affect the laws of any State relating to the disclosure of information in connection with credit transactions, except to the extent that those laws are inconsistent with the provisions of this subchapter and then only to the extent of the inconsistency. . . .'"
k) The Court in Jamal further notes that, "[s]imilarly, Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. § 226.28(a) states in pertinent part:
`Inconsistent disclosure requirements. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section [relating to special rule for credit and charge cards], state law requirements that are inconsistent with the requirements contained in chapter 1 (General Provisions), chapter 2 (Credit Transactions), or chapter 3 (Credit Advertising) of the act and the implementing provisions of this regulation are preempted to the extent of the inconsistency. . . .'"
l) The Truth in Lending Act, which focuses on consumer credit disclosures, is not preempted by the UTPCPL, a state law only which generally governs commercial transactions, and is not aimed at federal consumer credit practices.
2. Plaintiffs have a valid claim under the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, 73 P.S. § 201-7 (UTPCPL) against OneWest Bank.
a) The loan transaction which Plaintiffs entered into on July 3, 2007 is governed by the door-to-door sales provisions of the UTPCPL. 73 P.S. § 201-7.
b) Under 73 P.S. § 201-7, the right to cancel is afforded "to any consumer who agrees to purchase goods or services with a value of $25 or more `as a result of or in connection with' contact between the seller and the consumer at the consumer's home." Burke v. Yingling, 446 Pa. Super. 16, 21 (1995).
c) At trial, the Court determined that OneWest Bank qualifies as a seller within e definition of the UTPCPL.
d) In this case, the service provided, mortage refinancing, had a value of well over twenty-five dollars ($25).
e) Additionally, such services were contracted as a result of contacts between the Plaintiffs and One West Banka Plaintiffs' residence, including a telephone call placed by Mr. Tellado from his joome, and the loan closing which occurred at the residence. Thus, as in Fowler v. Rauso, 425 B.R. 1657 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2010), the contacts made at the residence of the consumers result in this transaction falling within the scope of 73 P.S. § 201-7.
e) Under the door-to-door sales provision of the UTPCPL, at the time of the sale or contract the buyer shall be provided with a notice of cancellation written in the same language as that principally used in the oral sales presentation and also in English. 73 P.S. § 201-7(b).
f) The buyer shall also be informed in the notice to cancel that he may avoid the contract or sale by providing the seller with a written notice of cancellation within three business days after the date of the transaction. 73 P.S. § 201-7(b).
g) IndyMac Bank, F.S.B., the original mortgagee, did not provide any documents in Spanish, the language of the sales presentation, nor did IndyMac Bank, F.S.B. provide additional notifications of the right to cancel within three business days near the signature line of the Note or Mortgage, as required by the UTPCPL. 73 P.S. § 201-7(b).
h) Thus, IndyMac Bank F.S.B., a division of OneWest Bank, failed to provide proper notice of Plaintiffs' right to cancel the transaction under the UTPCPL.
i) Further, the door-to-door sales notice to cancel requirements of the UTPCPL are not preempted by HOLA because they only incidentally affect the lending operations of OneWest and are consistent with the purpose of the HOLA.
j) The Court finds that "[t]he UTPCPL is a law of general applicability, and not targeted directly at banking or lending." Poskin v. TD Banknorth, N.A., 687 F. Supp. 2d 530 (W.D. Pa. 2009).
k) While the Third Circuit has not issued a ruling directly addressing the issue at hand, courts within the Ninth Circuit have provided some guidance.
l) In Reyes v. Premier Home Funding, Inc., 640 F. Supp. 2d. 1147 (N.D.Cal. 2009), the Court considered HOLA's preemption of the California Translation Law (CTA), which requires that a translation of a contract or agreement be provided in the language in which the contract or agreement was negotiated. The Court held that the CTA was not preempted by HOLA because it did not require any specific statements, information or other content to be disclosed and because it only affects lending incidentally. Id. at 1155 (emphasis added).
m) Reyes, as well as the case at issue, is distinguishable from several other Ninth Circuit cases which called for federal preemption of state regulations.
n) Where the state regulation in question regards specific processing, servicing, or disclosure policies or concerns the substantive financial terms of the loan, preemption has been deemed necessary. See Parcray v. Shea Mortg., Inc., 2010 WL 1659369 (E.D. Cal. Apr. 23, 2010)(concluding that HOLA preempts Cal. Civ. Code § 2923.5 because it "concerns the processing and servicing of [the plaintiff]'s mortgage"); Odinma v. Aurora Loan Servs., 2010 WL 1199886 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 23, 2010); Murillo v. Aurora Loan Servs., LLC, 2009 WL 2160579 (N.D. Cal. July 17, 2009); Silvas v. E*Trade Mortg. Corp., 421 F. Supp. 2d 1315 (S.D. Cal., 2006) (concluding that where federal law preempts an "entire field," a state's provision of remedies for a violation of federal law amounts to a form of state regulation of the affected area and is thus preempted).
o) As in Reyes, the Court finds that notice of right to cancel in this matter was incidental to the larger mortgage refinancing transaction, and thus is not preempted by HOLA or TILA, as discussed above.
B. Plaintiffs Fulfilled their Burden of Proof and are Entitled to Damages under the PA UPTCPL
1. The cancellation period provided for in 73 P.S. § 201-7(e) shall not begin to run until buyer has been informed of his right to cancel and has been provided with the required copies of the "Notice of Cancellation."
2. Because Plaintiffs never received the proper notification of their right to cancel under the UTPCPL, the cancellation period provided for in 73 P.S. § 201-7(e) had not begun to run at the time Plaintiffs sent a Notice of Cancellation to Defendant on August 5, 2009.
3. Because no valid notice of cancellation was issued to Plaintiffs, Plaintiffs' Notice of Cancellation was sent within the required time constraints pursuant to 73 P.S. § Plaintiffs are not required to show actual losses for remedies to be triggered under 73 P.S. § 201-7(g).
4. Relief granted to Plaintiffs shall be as follows:
a) Defendant OneWest Bank shall refund all payments made under the contract, cancel and return any negotiable instrument executed by the Plaintiffs in connection with the mortgage refinancing, and take any action necessary or appropriate to terminate promptly any security interest created in the mortgage refinancing transaction. 73 P.S. § 201-7(g).
b) Under 73 P.S. 201-9.2(a), the Court may, in its discretion, award up to three times the actual damages sustained [due to "deceptive practices", as statutorily defined], but not less than one hundred dollars ($100). The Court may provide such additional relief as it deems necessary or proper.
c) Because the acts in question do not rise to the level of unlawful deceptive practices required under 73 P.S. § 201-9.2(a), the Court declines to award damages permissible under this section.
An appropriate order follows.
[ipaper docId=62380935 access_key=key-avqmw663nevxndgqlqj height=600 width=600 /]


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If you've deleted Class Notebook pages or sections and then emptied the OneNote Recycle bin, you can recover these files using OneDrive. This works if the OneDrive Recycle bin hasn't been emptied yet.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
The road racing contingent of Team Super Chevy headed down to the Rolex 24 at Daytona last January, a storied event that also included the Koni Challenge Series three-hour race on Friday.
While taking nothing away from the 24-hour race, the Fresh From Florida 200 saw a field of 103 cars take the green flag, split between 59 Grand Sport machines and 44 Street Tuner cars, each fighting for class victories on the famed 3.56-mile Daytona road course. The series features production-based cars such as the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, Acura TSX, Dodge Neon SRT4, and the Mazda RX-8, with some suspension modifications and mostly stock motors. Last year's series-dominating Cobalts gave a little away on straight-line speed, but finished very respectably, with two Bow Tie machines finishing in the top 10. The top finish came from Team Cobalt California, with drivers Thomas Lepper and Bo Roach charging up from a 16th qualifying position to finish ninth.
"The car was really good under braking," Roach said. "I really had to work the draft on the high banking to try and keep up."
In the grueling 24-hour, a race that's considered the official opening of Speedweeks at Daytona, three new-for-2007 Chevy Corvettes took the green flag at 1:30 p.m. on January 27th, racing in the GT class of the event.
In the Rolex series, two types of vehicles compete, the slick Daytona Prototypes and the production-based Grand Touring machines. Daytona Prototypes are purpose-built racers, with tube-framed chassis, carbon-fiber bodywork, and extensive ground effects. The GT class features cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and Pontiac GXP.R. While similar to the Koni Challenge cars on the exterior, the GT cars have mostly silhouette bodies, and feature a tube-frame chassis, exotic suspension setups, and heavily modified motors.
As with any new racing program there are always some teething problems, but each Vette showed the pace that will carry them through the 2007 Rolex season. The top finisher was the No. 42 HRPWorld/Team Sahlen Corvette driven by Joe, Will, and Wayne Nonnamaker, perennial Rolex stalwarts, along with Joe Sahlen. The team finished 21st in class, out of a massive 42-car field.
The Chip Ganassi No. 01 Lexus/Riley Daytona Prototype was the overall winner, completing 668 laps in the 24-hour timed event, with Scott Pruett, Salvador Duran, and Juan Pablo Montoya sharing driving duties.


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New Orleans Rapper Phlye Freestyle Over "Pop Dat" Instrumental [Unsigned Artist]
" Twitter: @Phlye7 Instagram: fligidy_phlye contact:678-330-0042. New Orleans rapper Phlye going in on pop that instrumental , showing off his world play and delivery. Phlye latest mixtape is on datpiff.com called "behind the music". Phlye will be dropping he highly anticipated mixtape on Nov 30 named "The Come Up" on livemixtapes.com and datpiff.com. "
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A woman who was diagnosed with spinocerebellar degeneration was able to feed herself once again through the help of a mind-controlled robot arm created by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Jan Scheuermann knew what she wanted to do if and when she mastered the robotic arm. The 53-year-old woman, paralyzed from the neck down, was going to have some chocolate.
And she did.
Tiny electrodes implanted in her brain picked up her wishes and made the arm and hand move, researchers reported Monday in the Lancet medical journal.
Neurosurgeons have been working for years to identify individual brain cells associated with movement and thought. This is a new way of getting there, the researchers report in the Lancet medical journal.
"This is completely new territory. Every time you move, billions of neurons fire together," said neurobiologist Dr. Andrew Schwartz of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who worked on the study. "We are starting to learn what these neurons are saying to one another."
Jan Scheuermann, who has quadriplegia, takes a bite out of a chocolate bar she has guided into her mouth with a thought-controlled robot arm. Research assistants Brian Wodlinger, Ph.D., and Dr. Elke Brown watch in the background.
The robotic arm is an advance for prosthetics controlled by the brain. "We are much more closely replicating natural arm and hand movement than has ever been done before," Schwartz said. "We could actually decode the subject's intention to move. That is very useful for prosthetics. There is no other way a subject can actually express intention to move."
Since having the electrodes implanted, Scheuerman calls it "the ride of my life."
"This is the roller coaster. This is skydiving. It's just fabulous, and I'm enjoying every second of it," she says.
Scheuermann has a degenerative spinal disease and has been paralyzed for about nine years, Schwartz said. "She has a spinal cord degeneration so that her condition is very similar to someone that has suffered a spinal cord injury," Schwartz said. "She can't move anything below her neck."
Schwartz and colleagues implanted two separate arrays with 96 electrodes in Scheuermann's motor cortex, the part of the brain that initiates movement. Each one is about 1/16th of an inch long, Schwartz said, a fairly simple procedure for brain surgeons.
Study participant Tim Hemmes (right) reaching out to his researcher, Wei Wang, M.D., Ph.D. (left), using a brain-controlled prosthetic arm. Also pictured: Research team member Jennifer L. Collinger, Ph.D and Katie Schaffer.
"You don't feel it," Schwartz said. "There are a lot of patients undergoing procedures for Parkinson's disease in which they implant electrodes in the middle of your brain to stimulate it order to relieve symptoms. It's much more invasive than this and yet it's routine."
After the implant, Scheuermann's training started. The arm is mounted on a stand near Scheuerman's wheelchair. She gradually learned to control the arm by thinking about what she wanted it to do. After 13 years, the brain circuits were still there, Schwartz said.
"The second day of the experiment, she was able to move the prosthetic," Schwartz said. "I sort of expected that to happen. My colleagues were much more skeptical. We had a bet that she could do it the first day. I lost the bet, and ended up buying ice cream for everybody."
Scheuermann learned to pick up a rock, stack cones and eventually fed herself a candy bar. You can see video of the arm here.
"What we want to do sometime in the near future is mount the arm in her wheelchair so she can take it around with her and use it in her house," Schwartz said.
Several other teams of researchers were working on mind-controlled prosthetics, but this one uses different computer programs, says Schwartz. The whole project is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. The device cost several hundred thousand dollars but with more production the price would come down, Schwartz says.
"This prosthetic arm was developed with the returning war veterans in mind," he said. But amputees won't be getting brain implants any time soon, he said, because doctors and the Food and Drug Administration won't approve surgery that could further injure people who have already lost limbs.
For now, amputees may have to make do with prosthetics powered by muscle movements.
One downside: After about a year, the brain begins to build scar tissue around the implants and the signal starts to die out. Schwartz says his team is working on making implants with materials the brain won't reject as foreign.
"This bioinspired brain-machine interface is a remarkable technological and biomedical achievement. Though plenty of challenges lie ahead, these sorts of systems are rapidly approaching the point of clinical fruition," Grégoire Courtine of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and colleagues wrote in a commentary on the study.
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NR F1 Podcast: 2017 British GP Preview – Hamilton's quadruple is on, but he's no Jenson
The NR F1 Podcast takes to the airwaves to bring you its 2017 British Formula 1 Grand Prix preview.
A home grand prix! What better time for Lewis Hamilton to get his F1 world championship challenge back on track?
Edition 182 of The NR F1 Podcast discusses the Mercedes man's bid for a fourth British Grand Prix win on the bounce, a record-equalling fifth chequered flag at his home race and the pod's chance to take in some live Formula 1 action.
But it is far from a Lewis love-in as the crew also tackle Silverstone's future fate and tucks into some of the latest F1 news, as the calendar tackles back to back races.
The NR F1 Podcast gets together to their views on the latest Formula 1 action out across the world.
The pod's recent activity also includes their review of the latest F1 news, interviewing former BBC F1 host Jake Humphrey, plus their forthcoming predictions for what might happen at Silverstone.
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"He's crazy," says Hazel Dickens in the no-nonsense voice of a 70-year-old who has seen her fair share of loons. "All this music? For free? It's got to cost a pile. Every year I think, this time they're going to cut back, but no, it just gets bigger."
When told how big this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival is going to be -- around 60 acts, among them the biggest names in country, bluegrass, Americana and (Dickens' area) old-time folk -- she gasps. "It couldn't happen anywhere in the world but in San Francisco, this crazy millionaire putting on these great big festivals for free."
Right now, the man whose mental health is being questioned is seated at a desk in an outsize room with a panoramic view of the bay. If it weren't for the lack of a bed and the occasional appearance of a smartly dressed office worker, this might be a wealthy teenager's bedroom, with its CDs and sports trophies, musical instrument in the corner and signed festival posters on the walls. In fact, it's headquarters of one of America's leading investment firms, and the man proudly showing off a photograph of himself with Emmylou Harris is its 72-year-old founder and chairman, Warren Hellman.
He doesn't look particularly crazy, nor like a captain of industry. Bristling at that phrase, he demotes himself first to "corporal" then "schmuck" of industry and puts in a CD by Todd Snider, selecting the sardonic sing-along "Conservative Christian, Right-Wing Republican Straight White American Males."
But Hellman is clearly mad about bluegrass. Five years ago he decided to stage a festival, fly out his favorite artists and invite anyone who shared his passion or might be ripe for conversion to come for free. It was the millionaire-philanthropist equivalent of making compilation tapes of favorite songs and sending them to your friends.
Harris and Dickens came for the first festival and have been back every year since. This year, they share the bill with Dolly Parton, Steve Earle, Rosanne Cash, Earl Scruggs, Gillian Welch, Doc Watson, Joan Baez, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Brown, Ralph Stanley, Laura Cantrell, Rodney Crowell, Patty Griffin, Del McCoury, the Knitters, Tim O'Brien, Todd Snider, Kelly Joe Phelps, Chip Taylor, Jim Lauderdale, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Buddy Miller and Los Super Seven with Calexico. And that's just the out-of-towners. There are a number of fine Bay Area artists, including Bill Evans, Jody Stecher and Toshio Hirano, whose shows pay tribute to Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams.
As Dickens points out, it costs a pile. Hellman says "it costs a lot -- bigger than a bread box, smaller than a house, one of those new billionaire homes, I guess." He tells how he was approached by someone who said he ran America's biggest (non-bluegrass) festival. "He wanted to buy mine. I said, 'Why? It's free.' He said, 'Well it wouldn't be if I owned it.' " Hellman said it wasn't for sale. "There's this famous Texas oil guy's remark about money: 'It's like manure -- if you spread it around, beautiful things grow. But if you leave it in a pile it smells like manure.' "
He rummages through the CDs for a Hazel Dickens song, 'Mannington Mine,' about a mining tragedy. "There's a line that goes, 'There's a rich man that lives on the hill, far from the poor miner's home, for him everything is fine.' After about three months of knowing Hazel, she told me, 'I think of you as the man on the hill.' Then, a couple of years ago she gets up at the festival and says, 'If Warren goes on being so nice, I'm going to have to change some of my songs.' "
Hellman is far from the only fan of old-time bluegrass who has never set foot in a coal mine or a cotton field. When former Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen bought a ranch in the Appalachian foothills in 1989 and started holding workshops in mandolin, banjo and folk guitar, it became popular for New York businessmen to go there on weekends to pick and yodel as a way to de-stress. Kaukonen, like Jerry Garcia and countless other anti-establishment rock musicians, was digging into the weird, wonderful roots of American rural music back in the '60s. This latest wave of interest is nothing new.
Gillian Welch, a third-time festival performer, was raised in Los Angeles on Velvet Underground and punk records, but later had an epiphany: "I was at college and had just moved in with a DJ who had an old-time-bluegrass show. One Sunday morning I was in the bathroom, on my knees, cleaning the bathtub, and he put on "The Legendary Stanley Brothers Vol. 1." The first song came on and I just stood up and I kind of walked into the other room as if I was in a tractor beam and stood there in front of the stereo. It was just as powerful as the electric stuff, and it was songs I'd grown up singing. All of a sudden I'd found my music."
Toshio Hirano first discovered old American country music as a high school kid in 1960s Tokyo through listening to Bob Dylan. He came to the United States, wanting to see "the land where it sprang up and the people that created it." En route he met a punk rocker who took him to Texas, where Hirano -- who now lives and teaches in San Mateo -- played his Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers covers publicly for the first time.
Says Dickens, "A lot of the punk people are real attracted to the old-time and the bluegrass. They said they liked it because of its honesty and the down-to-earth people who play it and the message that it sends."
Ralph Stanley has been touring continually since 1946, playing what he prefers to call "old-time mountain music." In recent years, the small, gray-haired 78-year-old has found himself in the unusual position of greeting young fans with tattoos and piercings, who shake his hand and tell him, "This is cool!" Says Stanley, "I tell them, 'I think it's quite hot.' They call it a trend, but if it is a trend it's been going for longer than I can remember. It's the music I grew up on as a country boy, and there's nothing else like it. It's nice to see the city folk are catching up."
He gives all the credit to the Coen brothers' 2000 comedy film "O Brother Where Art Thou," on whose soundtrack he played and sang. "After that movie, when I went out I could tell that my audience had increased. And they were mostly young people. See, this music never got played on the big radio stations, so people had never really heard it, but when the movie put it out there where people could hear it, I guess they noticed it more and they liked it. Afterward all of us on the soundtrack toured with a show called 'Down From the Mountain,' " which was made into an award-winning documentary. Its participants included Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, who are also on this year's bill, alongside revered old masters of the genre like Earl Scruggs, age 81, and Doc Watson, 82.
Stecher, who has been playing banjo for 47 years, agrees that "O Brother" helped raise its popularity. He's been getting calls from people wanting to learn banjo. Hellman has been taking lessons with him for three years. Hellman tried once before in his 20s and gave up. His banjo, an exquisite 1909 White Lady, languished in the corner, until years later, when his daughter married and her husband fancied learning to play.
"Fast forward, they get divorced and the banjo stays with him," Hellman says. "Then a year and a half ago, my wife says to Jody, 'My husband had this beautiful White Lady, do you think we could find one?" They located one in Marble, Mass.
"I swear to God," says Hellman, "I think it's the one I had. My grandchildren spend time with their father, so I keep wanting to send them on a spying expedition to see if he still has it. But I really don't want the answer," he laughs. "It wouldn't be half as good as thinking I've got my old banjo back."


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mikey287 wrote:npv708 wrote:mikey287 wrote:Its $20/month for the sports package (comes with Golf Channel, etc).
Yeah, that's the one, Golf channel and bunch of other things I don't watch. When I had FiOS in NJ a couple years ago, I think I got it for $5.95...just call them, ask'em for a deal on it...
I've tried. Multiple times. They've told me to get DirectTv or Comcast.
Gaucho wrote:The appropriate nickname for BB is probably Brain.
murphydump55 wrote:Sid is working hard and backchecking like a maniac. He's trying to make things happen.
Our PP entry is a joke. I have no idea why we have no support for the puck carrier. Just attack the puck carrier and we'll turn it over, teams know this.
Vokoun while saving us at times, still can look so lost at other times. Anyone else concerned with his mobility moving backwards? He fell over himself again tonight, much like he looked against Philly in that ugly one.
I said it before and I'll say it again, I would love to see us upgrade our faceoff numbers. Sid isn't doing well on the dot tonight, Sutter is 50% for the year, Adams is 40%, Jeffrey is 42%, and Geno is 45% (which is mind boggling that he doesn't improve). If Sid is off, the only other guy we can depend on is Vitale, and sometimes he doesn't even dress! Someone that can win draws like Sid would be a welcomed addition.
Gaucho wrote:LET'S GO PENS!!!
mikey287 wrote:Vokoun doesn't have very good mobility because his style compromises his ability to get a strong, effective push off. He's just not a very good skater.
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Hello Keydar,
I just wanted to say I really love your comic, I look forward to it each week! But how come you are so often the object of ridicule in your own comics? I really feel sorry for you sometimes, since you are the one who goes to all the trouble of making these comics, but keep getting ridiculed - Breath, Threat, The Dancing Flute, etc


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Her hair is pulled back, exposing gray locks on her black hair, especially on the right side of her face. Her eyes are brown, so is her skin. And now people go to her small town in Oaxaca, Mexico, to take pictures with her. Estela Fabian Mendoza welcomes them wearing an array of colorful aprons, just like her apparent animated alter ego, Elena Rivera, the loving-yet-cranky grandmother in Pixar's latest hit film.
The physical resemblance between this Mexican grandmother and the Abuelita character in Pixar's "Coco" has led people to believe she inspired the role, even if Pixar has yet to confirm the connection officially.
"Coco" draws inspiration from Mexico and its people. In the case of Abuelita Elena, the Oscar-winning animated film got Fabian Mendoza, a 65-year-old Mexican cook and grandmother of nine, down to a T.
"Do I look like her? Well, yeah," giggled Fabian Mendoza, telling NBC that she sees herself in Elena and the way she does her hair, stylizes her outfits with a colorful apron, and the way she walks.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
"The one thing that is not like me, is [Elena's] bad mood," said Fabian Mendoza.
Following the release of "Coco," Mendoza said she was the last one to find out that she "was in the movie." Her boss Jacobo Angeles approached her with someone she couldn't recognize saying, "She is the one that appears in the movie." Surprised, she remembers asking if they were talking about her and they said, "Yes, you'll see.
"So, when I watched I learned it was true," she said, laughing.
Fabian Mendoza has worked in the kitchen of Taller Jacobo and Maria Angeles for over 17 years cooking mole and stews for the shop's employees. The shop, located in the picturesque town of San Martín Tilcajete in the Aztec region of Oaxaca, Mexico, was one of the location sites that the production team visited during the creative process, according to a local community organizer.
Eduardo Garcia Luis, who described himself as the culture coordinator at Taller, said the first time Pixar producers visited the small town was about seven years ago during Shiin Naa Lasn, or Festival for the People, where locals celebrate the town's gastronomy and artisanal heritage. The festivities take place for a whole week around Nov. 1, the Day of the Dead, which captivated the attention of producers.
For years, the team behind "Coco" scouted the shop around Día de los Muertos. Garcia Luis said producers were fascinated with the shapes and bright colors of figurines known as Alebrijes, which the shop makes. And, even though these wooden animals and mystical creatures have no connection to the Mexican holiday, they were presented in the movie as spiritual guides that transcend from the world of the living to that of the dead.
"[Producers and animators] coexisted in the shop with all the workers for some days," Garcia Luis said. "They spent their time sketching… but we never imagined then what the result of all that work was going to be."
Garcia Luis even believes that Dante, the scrappy dog in "Coco," could also have been inspired by the shop's Xoloitzcuintlies, a Mexican breed thought by Aztec mythology to be sacred.
Pixar has not confirmed if the Mexican grandmother inspired the look for their iconic character. They have yet to respond to requests for comment.
"Coco's" directing animator Nick Rosario has said his grandmother-in-law, Pueblito Guzmán, served as a model to help make the film, helping nail down gestures and facial mannerisms.
Fabian Mendoza said she doesn't recall Pixar's visits because of the many people who come and go.
In the meantime, she is enjoying the attention she's gotten from the shop's visitors. They come looking for her to take pictures with the real-life Abuelita from the Pixar movie.
"I felt happy to see the movie because I never imagined this could happen," said Fabian Mendoza.


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THQ Missed Respawn Deal over IP Ownership
"We were one deal point away from signing [Respawn]," he said. "I saw [West and Zampella] recently, and they said it was that only one deal point, one that I wouldn't cave on." Apparently the one point was the intellectual property. THQ was looking to build its IP library, and the newly formed Respawn refused to give up ownership of it.
Zampella confirmed Bilson's comments. "I've known Danny Bilson for many years, so THQ was one of the publishers who approached us," he said. "We had serious discussions with them. As for the IP ownership, frankly, after what we'd just been through with Activision, owning the IP we were going to create was important to us. Unfortunately, THQ did not want to agree to that."
Ultimately, EA Partners struck a deal with Respawn, agreeing to give the studio control over the IP. Bilson seems skeptical about EA's strategy, but says he's still interested in working with Respawn. "I love those guys, I respect those guys," he said. "Maybe down the road we can strike another deal somewhere where it goes our way."
We have to wonder how this revelation meshes with Activision's accusation of conspiracy from late last month. If Respawn was hearing offers from various publishers, it's hard to see how they were in cahoots with EA to ruin Infinity Ward all along. But maybe that's what they want you to think.


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It was hard to get going this morning. I can blame it on too much coffee, not enough sleep, loading up on that super sweet granola when I usually don't eat before I run. Whatever the reason, I did not feel like running this morning. I dressed, got momentarily excited about trying out my new sports bra, did some stretching, and started out slowly. It was a bit cold for 8:00 am and I found myself sticking to the sunny spots rather than looking for the shade. I was actually crossing the street to avoid shade. I did a little more than I thought I would, which usually happens, even though my legs were kind of tight and mushy (tight and mushy???) throughout the whole run.
I felt like I never quite warmed up today. I made a point of keeping my arms low and slack. I am constantly surprised at how much effort it takes to stay relaxed! My arms want to come up above my waist even though it drains my energy to do so. A running friend told me that it's best to keep them down, and relaxed, unless I'm running up a hill. It does relax my shoulder and neck muscles when I run with my hands near my thighs, I've found, but they creep back up on their own volition. I think I'm working some new muscles just by trying to keep my arms down. I've been observing other runners' form and I'm surprised that many hold their hands up near their chest, swing their shoulders, or let their wrists flop around. I'm trying to be aware of having the correct form and whether it's helping or hindering me.
The most interesting thing I saw this morning was a woman walking four dogs and a baby carriage. Everyone was well-behaved. The dogs were just walking along, not pulling or barking, the baby was sleeping; they looked like they had practiced this for some time and had it down. It could have been a chaotic event. When I passed her, I said "Wow!" and she nodded with a tired smile. Good for her. I'm sure there's some lesson there for me but at the moment I'm not sure what it is.
I told someone about writing this blog on running and she didn't seem too impressed. Maybe it was because I've become excited about so many other projects lately that only lasted a day or two. That's what she brought up—what about the work you were doing that came from the art gallery? Oh, that. Well, I've lost interest. Or maybe I'm still interested in a way, but I'm not really doing it anymore. What it was, was writing to a subject, the way poets do. I remember taking a poetry class and noticing that the real poets wrote from the perspective of a "speaker" and wrote to someone or something. I had never tried this before until I was in an art gallery with a poet pal and did some writing exercises (which I had miserably agreed to do with her) writing about paintings. My friend was actually writing to the subjects in the paintings—never occurred to me to do this but I loved it! So, I've been doing that for a month or so, little snippets, "poemettes" where I speak to the tomato plant, to the bird on a wire, to myself from my body's point of view. It's been interesting and it's working some kind of artistic muscle that I've never used before. I don't think I'm done with that, and I don't know where it will lead, in fact, I think I may be using it now as I write this to an audience, to the reader of my blog—you, the person interested in running and writing and escaping reality as much as possible. You may not be my subject but I've never been so aware of an audience before. I suspect that I'll see more come out of this in the future.
Today, when I was running, I kept thinking about what I would write when I got home. I would write some deep and ponderous things about the woman with the dogs and the baby, the man watering his tomatoes, the yellow leaves that have cropped up on trees here and there, the golden light of fall that I love so much. I had such a hard time being in the moment, busy "writing" as I ran. Not that those things can't go together. I have experienced that often as I walk (while working on my dissertation, as well as my last novel). Walking brought clarity, inspiration, even story to my mind. I'm experiencing some of that now with running. I think, however, that this morning I was trying to force it. Thinking ahead to my blog that I would be starting and how this is the way I would become famous, just like the woman in that film about Julia Child. I have questions now about the ethics of profiting from spirituality (inspiration, meditation—whatever you want to call it). Is this a spiritual exercise for me (writing, running, sharing my personal experience) or am I trying to find my niche? Make a buck? Get famous? All of those things, I suppose, and I'm probably not the first writer to be in a quandary over it. Maybe I should just stop thinking about the future and whether I will be on Oprah or on Ellen to talk about my book that came from this blog and just write for today. This book/blog is different from my fiction (as well as my poorly disguised memoir written as fictitious regional/coming of age novel based on my childhood) in that I knew the endings to those, or at least, it was up to me to fabricate an ending. I thought about where the story was going, plotted the course. This book (I can't help it)—I have no idea. It is truly a work-in-progress and I love that. It is a one day at a time project and I will have to wait and see where it goes. Just like you do (if you're still there). I'm thinking, write for seven more months, until 9/9/2011 (my one year anniversary of running). I can try that. If I don't think it's a good place to stop, I'll keep going—just trust the process.


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How to Speed up Maven
How many times do you invoke maven in a day? How much time could you save if you shaved 15 seconds off each execution? That doesn't really sound like a lot but when executed a 100 times a day it adds up quickly; and 15 seconds is probably conservative. Now stop being selfish and think collectively as team how often maven is executed. 15 seconds for 50-100 builds a day across a team of 10-15 programmers adds up even quicker. This was my experience experimenting with the maven-cli-plugin with a simple sub-module running mvn clean install with unit tests.
I had never actually heard of maven providing this ability. I had seen and used it for other technologies like grails and scala, but I never considered if maven did as well. It wasn't until James Strachen recently tweeted about attempting to use a new feature provided by Sonatype called mvnsh: "a CLI Interface that enables you to speed up your builds because project information and Maven plugins are loaded into a single, always-ready JVM instance". From the FAQ, "The Maven engine is only started up (bootstrapped) one time and then held in a "ready" state waiting for user input of Maven or other shell command". Since I spend most of my day basically running maven, I was very intrigued.
Unfortunately, it appears mvnsh only supports maven 3 projects and our projects are still using maven 2. Even though I've read maven 3 is backwards compatible, I'm still waiting for a more official stable release (maven 3 is currently at 3.0-alpha-7). On the bright side, it appears mvnsh was set to improve on the maven-cli-plugin that supports maven 2 projects.
So I just wanted to share my experience getting the maven-cli-plugin set up and get the word out to fellow maven users to improve their productivity. Overall it seems to work as expected and does improve my local build times. I'm on Ubuntu 9.10, maven 2.0.10, and JDK 1.5. As I mentioned in the beginning, using cli:execute-phase decreased my build times approximately 15 seconds. The biggest disadvantage so far is I don't have access to my alias's, which I depend on heavily for just about everything I do with maven.
Getting started with the maven-cli-plugin
I basically followed the Common Setup instructions on the github wiki User Guide.
I added the pluginGroup to my settings.xml file:
I then added a new profile to my settings.xml file:
And finally I enabled the new profile in settings.xml:
<name>twdata.org Maven 2 Repository</name>
Using the maven-cli-plugin
The maven-cli-plugin basically supports 2 goals: execute and execute-phase. Use execute when you want to run goals and use execute-phase when you want to run phases. It's unfortunate the plugin forces you to pre-commit to one or the other; hopefully mvnsh has improved this. I typically run clean install which are phases so I ran: mvn cli:execute-phase. This puts you in an interactive shell where you can run clean install. Once finished you continue to stay in the shell allowing you to repeatedly execute mvn phases without having to bootstrap maven each time.
Since I spend a majority of my time executing maven and this simple experiment decreased my build times, I plan on using the cli plugin for every day use when I don't want to use my alias's. Also, this plugin should work on windows as well so don't think you are left out. Let me know how your mileage varies. Do you have any other tips that improve maven execution times?
On a side note, I'm sure the django/python crowd cringe at how much time java developers waste compiling and deploying. Execution times are something I believe they don't have to worry about.


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In 2002, the selection of
California State University, Northridge and three other institutions to participate in the Teachers for a New Era signaled an urgent response to the inability of American higher education to prepare qualified teachers consistently. Eventually eleven universities were invited to join this effort at reform.
The lack of confidence in the role of universities is understandable, since the maze of pathways around and through preparation programs undermines coherence, as Lee Shulman has said, and as A Nation At Risk documented in 1983. (See the pathways chart, pp. 13, in the Math and Science Critical Pathways study.) Poorly educated pupils, taught by marginally qualified teachers, graduate from public P-12, threatening the nation's pre-eminence in the global knowledge economy.
There is strong evidence, as our team's research suggests, that effective teaching is even more crucial to pupil learning than socioeconomic factors. So, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, joined by the Annenberg Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and assisted at the start by the Rockefeller Foundation, invested in this project. TNE follows three principles:
Assessing Evidence: improving preparation programs, teaching strategies, and teacher support on the basis of valid and reliable evidence mainly of pupil learning.
Creating Strong Clinical Practice and Induction: insuring that P-12 setting and the university curriculum align and indeed overlap so that theory and practice reinforce one another.
Engaging the Arts and Sciences with Education: making teacher preparation--and pupil learning--everyone's responsibility because teacher candidates must learn not just subject matter but how to make subject matter teachable. The "two cultures" must align practices and principles for candidates to experience a coherent program.
Now in the sixth year, the accomplishments and plans of CSUN's team appear in the renewal report and Carnegie response, fourth-year report, the fifth-year plan, the evidence report, the summary of work to date at the beginning of year six, the W.M. Keck Teacher-in-Residence Initiative and the most recent evaluations by Rand and SRI in years three and four. Many projects are under way; some have melted away, as we concentrate ever more intensely on evidence of pupil learning. The three links under ACCOMPLISHMENTS, in the sidebar to this page, lead to summaries of work under each principle.


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Twilight's News Is Moving…
Hi you guys,
WordPress' "Twilight's News" becomes Blogspot's "Twilight's News"
As I mentioned a while back the move was planned weeks ago, yet always something happened. Well, now we've done it. Still this is not the domain name move I was mentioning but to a new free blog server. Sorry guys but business is low :P.
Anyway… starting on Monday 08.02.2010 we are on blogspot.com… I found it more useful and now I've made the move.
Step by step all the old posts will be moved there also, but for now you can read the latest 100 posts plus a few new ones.
So, the new address is http://twilight-s-news.blogspot.com/ learn it, bookmark it, share it… eh… you know what to do with it… Use it and abuse it…
Ah… there's a poll there that I hope you'll take a look at and maybe even vote on it… Please do so. It would mean the world to me…
Thank you guys!
Best wishes,
'Twilight' wolfpack wants the number for Joe Manganiello's trainer
Source: The LA Times Blogs
We saw this one coming a mile away — turns out the insanely hot new "True Blood" werewolf Joe Manganiello has stirred up some body envy in a different wolfpack: the lupine boys of "The Twilight Saga."
We caught up with Manganiello at Comic-Con this weekend, hitting up EW and SyFy's celebration Saturday night, where he told us he's seeing his furry brethren from the Summit films all over Hollywood and beyond.
Northwest tribe revels in 'Twilight' spotlight
The leader of the Quileute Nation in northwest Washington first began hearing her tribe had a role in the popular "Twilight Saga" from fans clamoring to know more about the place where a vampire tale of teenage love unfolds.
Some fans sent e-mails. The most dedicated among them made trips to the remote reservation that is home to the series' heartthrob werewolf Jacob Black.
"The interest in our tribe was a surprise, a good surprise," tribal Chairwoman Anna Rose Counsell-Geyer said. "I thought to myself, people are going to actually get to know the Quileute and we are going to be recognized as a people. The real Quileute."
That was a couple of years ago. With "Eclipse," the series' third movie in theaters now, the 750-member Quileute Nation is reveling in the "Twilight" spotlight, attempting to capitalize on the blockbuster's massive financial pull and welcoming new interest in the tribe's culture.
At their Oceanside Resort, the tribe is opening a cabin decorated in a wolf theme, a shout out to Jacob and the Quileute's own origin story, which begins with a transformation from wolves to people.
MovieFone The 'Twilight' Saga: A to Z
A is for Alice, the spritely, spiky-haired Cullen sister whose special vampire gift is her ability to see the future. She can tell you when to skip biology class (blood-typing day!), and let you know that your boyfriend is en route to Italy to request a decapitation (Edward Cullen in 'New Moon'). The only thing this fashion maven is blind to is the wolves — this explains how she saw Bella's cliff-dive, but entirely missed the part when Jacob pulls her out of the water. Alice's mate is Jasper Hale, the blond Southerner who is constantly trying not to fall off the vegetarian vampire wagon.
B is for Bella Swan, the center of the 'Twilight' stories. Many humans at school try to be her friend, but she prefers the supernatural kids, not the cool kids. A true danger magnet, the clumsy and awkward Bella is constantly in mortal peril. Fortunately, her über-protective boyfriend Edward Cullen and her seriously hot (at 108.9 degrees) best friend Jacob Black have rather unnatural abilities to help keep her alive — Edward is a vampire and Jacob is a shape-shifting werewolf. Her number one desire is to become a vampire and spend eternity with Edward — but he does not want to destroy her soul. The love triangle that develops between Edward, Bella and Jacob is an angst-filled, highly dramatic, swoon-inducing romance.
C is for Coven, a group of three or more vampires that live together. The Cullen family is a coven of vampires who live amongst humans and do not harm them — they drink the blood of animals instead. The bodacious Denali coven in Alaska, whom the Cullens think of as extended family, are also vegetarian vampires. The largest and most powerful coven in the vampire world is the Volturi, who ruthlessly enforce the laws of the vampire world. Headed up by Aro, they are regarded as royalty, and have existed for over three thousand years.
D is for Death, because you cannot have a proper story about vampires without a lot of death involved. In 'Twilight,' James and his nomadic coven killed several humans before he set his sights on Bella; he was eventually killed by the Cullens. In 'New Moon,' Edward's mistaken notion that Bella had killed herself set him off to attempt ending his life at the hands of the Volturi. The Wolf Pack dispose of Laurent, one of the vampires in James' trio, while keeping Bella from becoming his next meal. In 'Eclipse' there are many human deaths, as Victoria murders innocents throughout Seattle.
E is for Edward Cullen, the beautiful, velvet-voiced, and permanently 17-year old vampire that Bella Swan is unconditionally and irrevocably in love with. This is the guy that makes human boyfriends and husbands seem inadequate. Born Edward Anthony Masen in 1901, he was changed into a vampire in 1918. In over a century, Bella's is the only unreadable mind that Edward has come across. He eventually overcomes his desire to drink her blood, which sings to him. His love for her is so all-consuming that he makes the ultimate sacrifice, leaving her in 'New Moon,' so she could have a normal, human life. In 'Eclipse' their dramatic relationship continues, as Bella eventually becomes his fiancée.
F is for Forks, Washington, the perpetually wet and overcast small town on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, where 'The Twilight Saga' takes place. Bella leaves her mom in hot, dry Phoenix, and moves in with her dad, Charlie Swan, the Forks Chief of Police. Forks High School is where Bella first meets Edward, in the biology class where he fought every dead cell in his body to keep from draining her. He then saves her from being killed by a van in the school parking lot. The 'Twilight' phenomenon has put this tiny logging town on the map — Twi-tourism has increased in leaps and bounds, and the town even has its own documentary, 'Twilight in Forks.'
G is for Gifts. While all vampires have incredible speed and strength, keen senses and immortality, some vampires have special gifts, or powers, that elevate them above the rest. Among the Cullens, Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future, and Jasper can feel and affect the emotions of others. James had the special ability of tracking, while Victoria is gifted with an uncanny sense of escape. The Volturi coven had several "gifted" members: Aro could see a person's entire mind just by touching them, Alec could paralyze one's senses, and Jane could project the illusion of incredible pain.
H is for Humans, the regular people in the 'Twilight' world who have no idea that they are surrounded by supernatural creatures. Bella's parents, the townspeople of Forks, the staff at the high school, and Bella's small circle of friends (Mike Newton, Jessica Stanley, Eric Yorkie, and Angela Weber) — these normal, edible humans live a carefree existence, ignorant to the dangers that lurk around every corner. Only the Quileute humans — wolf and non-wolf alike — know what's really going on.
I is for Imprinting, an involuntary reaction from a werewolf, wherein they literally see their soul mate and become permanently bonded and committed to that person for life. One can imprint on another person, and age apparently doesn't matter. Sam Uley imprinted on Emily, Quil on Claire, and Jacob on … well, you'll see.
J is for Jacob Black, the Quileute boy with whom Bella once made mud pies, but who is now her best friend and hopelessly in love with her. Jacob's werewolf gene is activated in 'New Moon,' and his new shape-shifter status helps him, along with the Wolf Pack, keep Bella safe from the murderous Victoria. Jacob is the one who tells Bella about "The Cold Ones," and is the only sunshine in Bella's dark, sad life after Edward and the Cullens leave her. In 'Eclipse' Jacob is livid that Bella has chosen to become a vampire, and his and Bella's attempts to stay friends make Edward jealous, causing his protective nature to go into overdrive.
K is for K-I-S-S-I-N-G, because there is a whole lot of this in the 'Twilight' series. Bella is the luckiest girl in the world, seriously. She has many kissing opportunities with Edward (just has to be careful of his razor-sharp teeth), she almost kisses Jacob in 'New Moon' (just has to mind his bad temper or he'll go all wolf on her), and in 'Eclipse' she will definitely be kissing both.
L is for La Push, baby, La Push. This is the picturesque oceanside home of the Quileute Tribe, about 14 miles west of Forks. Jacob lives here with his dad, Billy, and he and his friends often go to First Beach for bonfires and up the cliffs for some diving action. The Forks kids like to come down here for some freezing cold surfing, as Bella, Mike, Jessica and a few others did in 'Twilight.' It's okay to get a paper cut here, though — the Cullens aren't allowed.
M is for Meadow, the magical secret place where Bella and Edward go, and a significant location in the 'Twilight' saga. Edward takes Bella to the meadow in 'Twilight' — this is where she first sees his sparkling vampire qualities, as he demonstrates his strength and speed. In 'New Moon,' the opening scene with her "grandmother" dream takes place in this meadow. After Edward has left, she finds the meadow again and is devastated at its withered state; then Laurent appears and tries to kill her. In 'Eclipse,' Bella and Edward return to their special place, which Edward now calls "our meadow." Sigh.
N is for Newborns, the army of young vampires that Victoria is building in the Seattle area during 'Eclipse.' After the Cullens killed James in 'Twilight' for his attempt on Bella's life, his mate Victoria was out for revenge. Operating alone after Laurent's death-by-Wolf Pack in 'New Moon,' Victoria decides that building an army of newborns would be the most effective way to annihilate the Cullens. Little does she know that the Cullens and the werewolves have forged a formidable and unprecedented alliance.
O is for OME (Oh My Edward), an utterance that many a Twi-hard uses regularly to express unabashed, unadulterated, undying love for their favorite emo vampire, Edward Cullen. Other than Batman (as in "Holy fill-in-the-blank, Batman"), no other fictional character has inspired an oft-used exclamation. Another Edward-inspired one is WWED (What Would Edward Do?).
P is for Proposal, when Edward officially proposes to Bella in 'Eclipse.' She wants their relationship to go to the next level while she is still human, but he won't allow it, fearful that he'll lose control and kill her. Seeing how much it means to her, old-fashioned Edward finally agrees on the condition that they marry first. He proposes with Elizabeth Masen's ring — his human mother who died of Spanish Influenza in 1918.
Q is for Quileute Nations, the real Native American tribe that lives in La Push. In the 'Twilight' series Jacob, his family, and the rest of the Wolf Pack are Quileutes, whose legends say that their people descended from the wolves. It is the presence of "the Cold Ones," vampires, that activate the wolf gene in certain Quileutes, and they attain the ability to shape-shift into giant wolf form.
R is for Robert Pattinson, the man who made Edward Cullen come alive onscreen. Catherine Hardwicke had a vision and stuck to it, casting Pattinson because he had an otherworldly beauty to him — she was definitely looking beyond the typical "high school cute boy" type. Pattinson's fame is now at a level where screaming ensues whenever he makes a public appearance, he needs a constant bodyguard and he's had to become a bit of a recluse. The upside to his elevated status is the opportunity to make more mature films, such as 'Bel Ami' and 'Water for Elephants.'
S is for Six-Pack, because there is no room in 'Twilight' for vampires or werewolves with a spare tire. In 'New Moon' we get serious six-pack action, starting with Jacob cleaning up Bella's bloody head with his shirt, moving on to much more shirtless scenes with Jacob and the Wolf Pack, and culminating in Edward's big reveal of his sparkling six-pack in Italy.
T is for Tent, because Twi-hards the world over have been anxiously awaiting the famous "tent scene" from 'Eclipse.' Jacob, Bella and Edward are forced to share a tent on the cold mountainside — to Edward's horror, 108.9-degree Jacob shares a sleeping bag with Bella as he is the only one who can keep her from freezing to death. This scene also involves Edward and Jacob having their first honest and open conversation, which Bella overhears. Team Jacob loves this scene because (finally!) Bella kisses Jacob and realizes she is in love with him, too. Choices, choices.
U is for Uley, as in Sam Uley. He is the head of the Wolf Pack in 'New Moon' and 'Eclipse,' having been the first of this generation of Quileutes to become a shape-shifter. He is the one who finds Bella in the woods after she gets lost trying to get to Edward when he leaves her. Jacob at first is intimidated by Sam and his strong influence on the other guys from the rez — he thinks Sam has some kind of gang. Not until Jacob becomes a werewolf, too, does he realize that Sam has been helping the boys.
V is for Victoria, the sadistic and vengeful fiery-maned vampire who wants Bella dead, as retribution for Edward and the Cullens having killed her mate James. In 'New Moon' she came close to Bella many times — most notably in the water after Bella dove off the cliff — but Jacob and the Wolf Pack were always able to save Bella. In 'Eclipse' she changes her tactics and instead of going it alone, builds an army of young vampires to attack the Cullens.
W is for Werewolves, the shape-shifting kind that some of the Quileutes have a genetic predisposition towards. Sam, Quil, Paul, Jared, Embry, Seth and Leah, along with Jacob, are the Quileutes with this gene. They are not ordinary wolves — they are enormous, bear-sized creatures with super strength and senses, as well as the ability to communicate with each other telepathically. Phasing on the run can be hard on your clothing budget — the clothes just rip to shreds.
X is for Xavier Samuel, the 26-year old Australian actor who plays Riley, the newborn vampire who serves as Victoria's wingman, as well as the object of her phony affections. Riley is more controlled than the newborns, and is able to carry out Victoria's tasks without the constant distraction of wanting to kill humans. He'll be meeting up with Seth and Edward in 'Eclipse' for what promises to be an amazing fight.
Y is Yellow Porsche, the car Alice steals in 'New Moon' in order to get Bella to the clock tower in Volterra and save Edward from getting himself killed by the Volturi. Small, powerful and speedy — just like Alice. In 'Eclipse' Edward buys Alice an identical car as a bribe to keep an eye on Bella while he's off hunting.
Z is for Zeal, because nothing can match the zeal of 'Twilight' fandom. From camping out at premieres, to set stalking, to repeated re-readings and re-watchings of the books and films, to creating fan made videos and posters — there is no end to the zealousness of Twi-fans!
Passage to Eternity Blog Update


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Fresh off the successful CONCACAF U-20 Championships, Crew midfielder Wil Trapp took the time to talk with TheCrew.com as he settles in back in Columbus.
What were your overall thoughts on the CONCACAF Under-20 Tournament?
Wil Trapp (WT): Overall, I thought the tournament was excellent by us. We came a long way from our first game against Haiti to the final. We got better with every game so it was one of those things where it was exciting to see our team grow. As for the experience, it was awesome. To play an international game that really mattered and then to qualify for the World Cup was big time.
What were some of the lessons you learned about your own game while getting international experience?
WT: I would say that throughout the games I learned a lot about positioning. You can't take plays off in these kinds of games. It's going to be the same when I come back to the Crew. Every play counts and for 90 minutes you have to be focused.
What's it like being one of three MLS players to be named to the All-Tournament Team?
WT: It's an honor to be named "Best XI" for the tournament. I don't want to focus on individual things; I'm more proud of how our team performed and the success that we had.
What was the big takeaway from Sunday night's championship match against Mexico?
WT: It was obviously disappointing not to win the tournament. Playing Mexico in Mexico is never going to be an easy game, regardless of if it's a final or not. I thought we performed well given the circumstances and given the pressure was on us. Like I said, we wanted to get the win but sometimes it just doesn't go your way.


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Product information
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Wait a second, the Avs have two of those guys.
True, all five goals can't be blamed on Budaj. Krejci's goal with two minutes left that broke the 2-2 tie was more a result of a fluke play than any flaw in Budaj's game. It can be argued that Michael Ryder's goal should be blamed on the defenseman that didn't pick up his man in front of the goal instead of Budaj's inability to record a save percentage above .750 on opening night. And yes, "Boods" did make a very nice save on Patrice Bergeron's shorthanded breakaway in the third period.
But come on, he was pretty bad. 3 saves on 5 shots in the first period - one which the Avs dominated from start to finish. Budaj deserves some time before Avalanche fans begin to call for his head, but the Avs, who outshot the Bruins 39-20, would have won this game if the goaltending had been halfway decent.
Even with several defensive breakdowns and obvious problems in goal, the Avalanche offense looked pretty decent. Here are some highlights:
Hejduk, Wolski, McLeod, and Leopold score the first four goals of the Avalanche season. McLeod has already exceeded expectations for this season. Hopefully, this is just the start of great years for Hejduk and Wolski.
Sakic looked good. He lead all Avs with a TOI of 22:36 and assisted on McLeod's goal. Super Joe was robbed by Tim Thomas from tying the game at five in the dying seconds.
Tim Thomas stopped 35 shots, including a late flurry in the last 10 seconds. He even caught sight of Joe Sakic in the scrum, causing even more trepidation.
"I know from watching him over the years that he can go anywhere from five-hole to off the crossbar," Thomas said. "I was trying to be ready for anything."
NHL Game Recap
On the Tyler Arnason front, he had one shot and was a -1. Hensick was sent down in favor of this guy?
Ryan Smyth needs to stop taking slap shots every time he enters the attacking zone. I'd like to see him try to create something other than an offensive zone draw.
Granato really went to work on the offense. The power play looked good, especially since they were unleashing shots from the point. Hejduk's first period goal came on the PP while Wolski's goal came just after a Bruin left the box. Overall, I'm happy with the adjustments the coach has made.
Three Stars of the Game
The Three Stars indicate who I think the top three Avs were in each game. Remember, it's just an opinion.
1. Milan Hejduk (Goal, assist, Hejduk tied Sakic for most shots with 7)
2. John-Michael Liles (Two points, has finally decided to shoot from the point)
3. Joe Sakic (At 39, he's still the hardest working player on the ice)
Next Up
The Avs take the ice for the second time this season Sunday Night at 8 PM EST when they'll take on the Edmonton Oilers.
Video Fix
A little bit of that exhilarating Def Leppard concert last night. You be the judge...


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During my workout yesterday, I did a 500 FR on 8:22, and I think my prior best time had been around 8:30. Not sure if I made a timing mistake, so will try this again later for confirmation. In the meanwhile, my slowpoke self is feeling pretty good about that time.
I finished my 3000 yd swim last night with a time of 55:47:44, not exactly world-beater time, but pretty significant for me.
Last year, I wasn't able to do the 3000 yd swim due to an injured left arm. I lost my balance going down a flight of stairs (one of my feet folded under me and I started to pitch forward) and had to hang on to the railing for dear life with my left hand while I righted myself. The result was a torn biceps muscle and a strained tendon that took the better part of four months of rest and PT to heal completely. I was able to do the hour swim in January, completing 3150 yards, which I felt was pretty good, all things considered.
But this year, I wanted to do more. My best result in the hour swim was 3220 yards, from 2010. My swimming has improved a lot since then, and it's frustraing that my results in the 2011 and 2012 hour swims didn't show it. This past year, once the left arm healed, I've noticed a definite improvement all the way around--not one huge breakthrough, but definitely improvements in all aspects of my swimming. My strokes feel cleaner and more efficient; I'm swimming further and faster with less effort; I've mastered butterfly well enough to cobble together a decent 100 IM. My flip turns are still touch and go (due in large part to sinus issues that cause a lot of disorientation when I somersault), but I've worked on tightening up my open turns. My feeling there is that if I'm going to get an extra breath at the wall, I damn well should be able to not breathe from the flags to the wall and from the wall to the flags. I've been working on a strong push-off, good streamlining (or as much streamlining as my tight desk-worker's shoulders will allow), at least 3 SDKs, and not breathing at least until the second or third stroke.
My standard interval on 100 yds of freestyle has been streadily dropping. It was about 1:55-ish when I first began master's swimming in the fall of 2007. At that point, I'd been lap swimming on my own for 20 years, and my technique was **horrible**. It's better now, somewhat, but back then it was really, really bad, and my coach has spent the past 5 years trying to help me undo my bad habits. The work has paid off: my SI dropped from 1:55 to 1:50 to 1:45, and in most classes now, I can hold a 1:40 pace pretty consistently. So my technique is better and my endurnace is better, too (I really feel like learning fly and doing IM sets has helped with the endurance).
So last night, it was incredibly gratifying to finally see some results in a long swim: not only did I beat my 2010 3000 yd swim time by a full minute, I also set a new personal best 3000 yd time (previous best was a 56:02 that I clocked during my hour swim in 2010)--by about 15 seconds.
I've discovered that there are other things I need to do to get ready for a long swim. I've learned these things over time via haphazard trial and error, but they do make a big difference. Namely:
1. Rest. This seems to be more important than anything. I typically have a looong day (2 hour commute, 8 hour workday, 2 hour commute), so taking a day off for the long swim means I'm fully rested, I've had enough sleep, I'm not dealing with job and commute-related stress. I usually try to complete the hour swim on MLK Day. Yesterday I had the day off for a medical appointment. Also, I find it helps not to do any kind of workout in the 24 hours before the swim--no weights, no swimming, nothing more strenuous than a 40-minute walk. The day of the swim, I try to stay off my feet as much as possible.
2. Eat enough, but not too much. In the past, I've eaten too much before the long swim, or eaten too close to the swim. I've learned that a small meal (one piece of baked chicken, about half a cup of pasta), about two hours before the swim, seems to be optimal. Also, I've found it helps to skip vegetables entirely the day of the swim, in order to avoid painful abdominal gas.
3. Hydrate. Yesterday, I kept drinking water, stopping about 45 minutes before the swim, limiting water intake to a few sips during the warmup to keep my mouth and throat wet. I brought Gatorade with me to drink AFTER the swim--it seems to coat my throat and make my mouth feel even more dry. This worked out incredibly well: I had much less of a problem with a dry, scratchy throat during the swim, but I also didn't spend the last 15 minutes of the swim desperately needing to pee.
4. Stretch. Before I left the house, I did some back/hip stretches recommended by my physical therapist. When I got to the pool, I ran through some of the shoulder stretches recommended for swimmers, and I stretched my hamstrings/ calves against the side of the pool. This made a HUGE difference in terms of not cramping up during the swim or swimming the last 15 minutes with my back killing me. I did have some issues midway through the swim with minor heart palpitations and near the end, some foot/calf cramps, but I was able to work through both problems and they didn't impact my time. Both are signs that I need more potassium, so I have a mental note to take an extra potassium supplement before the hour swim in January.
And last but not least
5. Count laps. This helps keep my mind focused and (as my coach says) keeps me from drifting out into la-la land. I think of the 3000 yd swim as a 6 x 500, so I count down from ten to one, six times. I must've gotten off count somewhere in there, because my timer yelled to me that I had 100 yds left when I thought I had more like 200 left (let me tell you, that was **awesome**).
I also found it incredibly useful to practice with some long sets, so in the last couple of months, I've been doing things like 4 x 500 with a minute of rest between each 500. Last weekend, I did 3 x 1000 in my Sunday workout. This gets me in the habit of counting laps, and more importantly, of swimming through discomfort--so that when I'm doing the actual event, I'm better able to deal with my dry mouth and throat, my tired arms and shoulders, my cramping feet, and the need to use the bathroom.
Hour swim, here I come!
Did the hour swim tonight: 3150 yds. Felt way, way better than last year. Apart from a couple of foot cramps, I completed the event pain-free, which is a first for me. I put in a lot of prep for this event, including a 2500 last week, and I felt like it really paid off. Now it's time to .
So, according to the celebrity/ gossip pages of the local paper, Michael Phelps is 26 today.
This got me thinking, shouldn't his birthday be some kind of national holiday for swimmers?
Think of what we could do to celebrate. Swim a bunch of laps. Eat a big breakfast. Get really high. The possibilities are endless!
After hitting 225 miles for 2010, I bumped up my goal to 235 for 2011. With luck, I can bump that up even higher by year's end, but for now, I'm sticking with a number that seems do-able.
I hit my year GTD goal of 200 miles today and bumped up my goal to 215.
At last night's workout, I officially hit the 100 mile mark for this year!
Amazing class last night. We did a broken 1650 as part of our workout, which I did with all flip turns, and my time worked out to an average of 1:55 for each 100 yds, faster split times than what I usually do in an hour swim. I really felt like I was cranking. Finally getting the hang of body roll, arm extension, early catch. Not perfect, but when I do it right, I can feel the subtle differences in stroke power. Ditto backstroke. I still have a long way to go before I do all this consistently, but at least I have a sense of how it should feel.
Also, my cardio fitness in general feels much better. My flip turns were pretty good, too, and again, I know how they should feel when done right,and I know what I'm doing wrong when they go a little wonky. Not bad, considering I was sharing a lane with a much more powerful swimmer than myself, and there was a lot of turbulence being kicked up--lots of swimmers in a fairly small pool.
Updated April 27th, 2010 at 10:35 AM by Nancy H.
(Verbs are your friend!)
Well, I finally got my 50 mile cap in the mail (woot! wearing that on my lunch swim for sure), just in time for me to clock nearly 70 miles for the year. With luck, I'll have hit 100 miles by my birthday (mid-June), halfway to my goal of 200 miles for the year.
I finally got my t-shirt and cap from the hour swim. Woot!
I just wrote up a detailed, loving account of my workout last night, and it vanished into cyberspace when the site booted me out. SIGH.
On the plus side, my flip turns are feeling so secure these days that I'm seriously thinking of entering the Upper Valley meet in Vermont next month. I've never raced before, but I feel like I could handle the 100 and 50 backstroke events, especially now that my turn is good enough so that there's a 95% chance I could finish the races without being disqualified for doing something illegal.
As of today's workout, I've logged 20.65 miles for March 2010.
My Feb total was 16.82.
My January total (including my hour swim) was 18.76.
My goal for the year is to swim 200 miles, so I'm right on target for that, and might actually go even higher.
Oh yeah, and the flip turns are coming along really well, and I'm comfortable doing them both backstroke and freestyle, and in two very different pools. So: happy time!
Woot! As of today's workout, I have officially logged in 50 miles for 2010!
Well, we were VERY lucky not to lose electricity over the rainy weekend. We also were very lucky not to have trees or tree limbs or utility poles land on anyone or anything, and we had only a moderate amount of water in the cellar (at its worst, about three on a scale of one to Mother's Day 2007). Our sump pump was going off almost continually, though.
I missed last night's class because I didn't want to risk driving across town with so much high water in the streets, so I went tonight instead. Had an amazing workout of mostly freestyle and backstroke (YAY), and managed flip turns on pretty much everything except the drills and breaststroke--and this was sharing a lane.
So the extra work I've been doing weekends practicing flip turns while swimming along lane lines and circle swimming has definitely paid off. I think what was giving me trouble before was that I could do the flip turns no problem with a lane to myself, but then everything would fall apart when I had to also watch out for someone else. Now, by George, I think I finally got it!
The best stress relief in the world! Now it's time to
Finished a 3300 yd workout today, including lots of flip turns on both backstroke and freestyle. The flips feel more comfortable than they've felt since before Christmas, and my strokes overall feel much stronger. Of course it helps to have had two days off and to be fully rested.
We're right in the middle of another howling rainstorm. It'd be nice if we didn't lose power, like we did two weeks ago. Of course, it'd be nice to have a pony, too. : )
Goodnight, everyone!
Friday night, we here in New Hampshire had a very unwelcome flashback to the ice storm of Dec 2008 when a near-hurricane force storm blew through New England, toppling trees, power wires, flooding roads, and generally creating a damn nuisance.
I'd just gotten home from my Thursday night workout, driving through town at 9:00 PM in wind and driving rain so fierce I thought my car would blow off the road. Scurried around the house taking care of business as long as we had electricity--which wasn't for long.
At about 11 PM, in the height of the gale, the power went out. My sister and brother-in-law struggled to get the new generator up and running (thanks, Mom!) in order to keep our basement pumps running. We were taking on water so quickly it was making a high-pitched, cricket-like chirping as the water forced its way through the foundation. With the generator running, we could at least keep our pumps going. My sister had the unenviable task of trying to find a way out of our neighborhood at about 3 AM to find a working gas station and get our gas canisters refilled.
By about 6 AM, the cellar was nearly dry and the sun was coming out. Glory be! I drove around to scope out the situation, finding that blessedly, some parts of town still had power. Amazing, the utility crews were on the scene almost right away, and by later that afternoon, we had power back. The club where I swim was not so lucky, and they were shut down all day Friday and all day yesterday, with some fairly massive trees down in the road.
Incredibly, they were back in business today, and I was able to get 2300 yds in before general exhaustion took its toll. Still, we're doing better here than in many other parts of the state, where power has yet to be restored.
My swimming total for February is 16.82 miles. Woo-hoo! Not a bad total for the dead of winter.
Class last night: 3000 yds total. Lots of backstroke (yay!) and some big distance freestyle sets. Just my kind of workout.
Topped it all off by staying up till midnight to watch Olympic ice dancing. Congrats to Canada for its first ever ice-dancing gold medal! Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir were just phenomenal, and it was so great to see them get that much-deserved gold.
Taking second were their training partners, Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, who capped a fairly amazing season with the silver medal. Both teams are coached by the incredible Maria Zueva, who looked like she was the happiest person in the building last night. What an absolute triumph, to have choreographed such wonderful routines for two talented young teams, and to take both gold and silver in an Olympic competition. My hat is off to this amazing woman!
[Unfortunately, because We Must Have a European Pair on the ice dancing podium, the Russian team (Dom & Shabby) took the bronze, even though Americans Belbin & Agosto had the far superior free skate (his Elvis-meets-Jesus costume notwithstanding). This and the men's results have convinced me that athletes get extra points for Skating While Russian. Poor B&A--they got hosed. ]
Alas, reveling in such splendor comes with a price: the alarm clock goes off five hours later. Gaaaaahhhhh! There is not enough coffee in the world to keep me awake right now.
Oh, well. It's the Olympics. It's worth it.
Weekend workout: 2800 yds total.
Worked a lot of flip turns yesterday. I've been taking AZTimm's advice and adding yardage-with-flips gradually, 25 yds at a time, hopefully building up to longer freestyle sets, where I can flip continually without becoming exhausted and having my form completely break down. This definitely seems to be working.
The backstroke turns are slower to come, because of timing issues--figuring out exactly when to turn from back to front, do that last freestyle pull, and somersault. Coming off the wall is easier, but finding that sweet spot going into the wall can be fiendishly tricky.
Also I'm working on freestyle flip turns when I'm swimming along the lane line and circle swimming. That way, if I have to share a lane in class, I can still do the flips. What I was finding is that I can flip fine so long as I have the lane to myself, but that so rarely happens in class. Although I had a lane to myself yesterday, I practiced the turns as though there were someone else with me. We'll see how well things go in class tonight.
More hour swim goodness: last year, my average 50 split was 56.74, and this year it improved to 55.915. My split deviation improved from 1.325 to 1.040. So not only was I faster, I was more consistent. One goal for next year's hour swim is to get the standard deviation down below 1.00.
Thursday class, 2500 yds total.
Kind of a 'generic' workout--we worked on streamlining and endurance, and mixed in some IM sets with all the freestyle. I started out feeling tight and grumpy (too many late nights watching the Olympics, LOL), but got looser and stronger as I went along. One thing I love about swimming is that I always feel better when I get out of the pool than I did when I got into it.
My total yardage for 2010 is 29.75 miles, and it's only halfway through February. What an awesome feeling!
Also in happy-making news, I can get a $150 rebate on my club membership through my health insurance. Woo and hoo! That's almost three months' worth of fees!
Monday class: 1750 yds of mostly IM drills. Loads of kicking. Yowza.
In grumpy-making news, the fly workshop scheduled for Wednesday has been cancelled due to lack of interest. Phooey. I may have to sign up for another round of adult lessons this summer if I'm ever going to get the rudiments of fly down.
In better news, I managed 3-4 strokes of breaststroke before dropping the tennis ball. Very jealous of my classmate, who managed a whole 25 without dropping the ball once!
Also, I got the final calculations on my hour swim: my average 50 split was 55.915 seconds, and my standard deviation over the hour (3200 yds) was 1.04, so I was rarely more than a second off pace. This is better than I did last year, so woot! Not bad for a desk worker with an aching lower back.
Sunday workout: 3000 yards. First time I've hit 3000 in about 3 weeks.
Also had to yell at a couple of kids who were rough housing in the pool area. God, I always feel so old when I do things like that.
The flip turns are definitely improving. I did really well with the freestyle turns and started working on the backstroke turns again, with decent results. I didn't push it, though--ended on a strong note, then started working on something else.
My breaststroke is getting better, too. Happiness!


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Rotronic Hygroclip temperature and humidity intelligent sensor for ZED IT with high accuracy, no cable.
Rotronic Hygroclip temperature and humidity intelligent sensors with high accuracy, no cable; for longer cable length purchase ZED extensions.
Intelligent sensors are much more than simple sensors. The idea of an intelligent sensor is based on the fact that its parameters (serial number, type etc.) and the calibration data are stored electronically in a circuit installed on its cable or inside the connector. In this way you can connect to a reading device or directly to your PC, several intelligent sensors of different kind and they will all be recognized for what they are and what they are able to read, along with their calibration data. The sensor sends to the device (PC or data logger) a digital calibrated data.
The main feature of the intelligent sensors, used in the Syrinx system and connected to the ZED modules, is the recalibration procedure: easy, quick and not expensive. You won't need to remove the ZEDs from their position. You won't need to send the sensors to Tecnosoft for recalibration and therefore remain without monitoring. Before calibration expires order the recalibration service for intelligent sensors. You will receive new sensors to replace the expiring ones that will be sent back to Tecnosoft later on.
All intelligent sensors come with an Accredia (NIST equivalent) traceable calibration certificate included.


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In the previous post of our twelve-part blog series on the Top 10 Technology Trends for advisors and their partners, we discussed how the world is going mobile, and therefore every advisor and institution will need to have a credible mobile offering or risk becoming irrelevant. The third trend we will discuss in this post is the integrated workstation.
The desire for more technical integration has been a trend for so long that it is, in many ways, hard to actually call it a trend. From linking stock quotes to news stories in the 1980s to today's challenges of connecting social media to client records, the financial services industry has been a leader in making technologies work better together. With each financial services success, along with the spectacular success of consumer user experiences from products like Apple's iPhone and iPad (which we will discuss in an upcoming blog) the expectation that everything works together continues to grow.
So if integrated technology for advisors has been in existence for decades, what exactly is different now? A major issue with past integrated platforms is that it required advisors to lose some of each technology's functionality in the name of integration. For the most part, advisors have cared more about the functionality of each software component they use and have not been willing to conform to a technology with sub-par integrated components. If one looks at the number of vendors providing solutions solely focused in the CRM, portfolio management, financial planning and document management space it quickly becomes evident that functionality has ruled the day. In summary, advisors have preferred to use tools that fit their needs, even if not part of an integrated desktop, over integrated offerings.
With recent advances in network speed and scale, flexibility in software design, cheaper memory and more nimble data storage technology, the goal of mixing and matching various systems is becoming a reality. In essence, significant investments are being made by both large financial institutions and niche software providers for the sole purpose of allowing advisors to plug-and-play different software solutions (some of which they may already use) into "their" advisor workstation. In addition to this trend, the concept of embedding workflow into the workstation to facilitate a seamless experience in-and-out of different tools is a core component of the workstation and key to driving user adoption.
Click on the image below for ActiFi's Four Levels of Integration definitions.
Why You Should Care About Integration
For independent advisors, pursuing an integrated advisor workstation may no longer mean having to replace their entire technology stack with the limited offerings available to them in an integrated workstation. Instead, these advisors can take a pragmatic approach to swapping out their technology or better yet, integrate what they already have into a vendor-facilitated integrated solution. There are many vendor ecosystems forming that bring together a variety of best-in-class capabilities and make them available to advisors. These include Orion, Redtail, Appcrown/Salesforce, Envestnet/Tamarac, Microsoft Dynamics Overlays (Salentica/Galeforce, etc.).
With best practice workflows embedded in the solution that can be conformed to an advisor's unique needs, advisors can finally get some efficiencies while using best-of-breed solutions that fit their unique value proposition.
For financial services firms, the number of vendors that can provide scalable and enterprise-ready solutions for different components of an advisor's workstation has grown. In essence, the business technology group should be in a position to bring more choice to the end advisors as opposed to waiting for a single vendor or internal information technology to provide a solution. In addition, most vendors within the financial services space are open to, or already have built, integration capabilities. This trend should allow financial services firms to expedite the delivery of an integrated solution with constrained choice to their end users.
What You Should Do About Integration
At ActiFi, we believe that open architecture solutions will outperform closed architecture (e.g., everything running on a computer/server inside the walls of a firm) over the next decade. If you want a historical parallel in the financial services industry, look at what happened with investment products. Over a period of 10 to 20 years, the closed architecture approach (companies with captive sales channels exclusively selling products created by the company) almost completely disappeared. In addition, the companies that adopted open investment product strategies prospered. The same transformation is happening with technology integration.
Even though your software itself continues to do a great job for its defined purpose, it may be time to move toward a more open system. Ultimately, what most users want is the flexibility to choose the software applications that fit the way they do business best and have applications magically communicate with every other software application they use.
Advisors should not and can't generally afford to be in the software integration business; they need to leave that to software companies or their technology partners at the financial services firm of which they are affiliated. The good news is that there are many ecosystems forming where the vendors are doing exactly that.