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    Looking for love online: Is Madison's singles pool big enough for dating success? - May 10, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    I'd be ur slavw, my suitor whispered to me through his keyboard. He immediately corrected his typo.

    When this pickup line plopped into my OkCupid inbox, swoon I did not. Instead, I LOLed, then felt pity, for both my suitor and myself. I was 32 and single in a city of only a quarter million, with only a fraction of those available to me. The comedy of this online encounter competed with my despair.

    I couldn't help but wonder, in a Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw type of way: Is this worth it? Will online dating help me find true love in Madison?

    Dating in Madison often seems like another of what Rebecca Ryan called a "tier-two tradeoff" in the October 2013 issue of Madison Magazine. That is, we all make sacrifices to live in our beloved but small city. In dating, that sacrifice might be options.

    Fishing for love in a small pond can make your odds of hooking a mate look grim. At a certain age, the dating pool dries up into isolated puddles. People become increasingly settled into relationships and families, and you find yourself searching for new and different waters.

    Therein lie the hope, the horror and the humor of online dating in Madison.

    Online vs. 'organic'

    Now a nearly 20-year-old phenomenon, with the birth of Match.com in 1995, online dating seems to have reached its prime. In a 2013 poll by Pew Research Institute, 38% of single-and-looking Americans confessed they've searched for love (or something like it) on the Internet. Most users fell in the ripe age bracket of the mid-20s to mid-40s.

    As with much of life, the Internet has colonized the dating landscape. Sites range from the big "markets" (Match, eHarmony and OkCupid) to niche communities such as GreenSingles for the Earth lovers, ChristianSingles for the Jesus lovers, and Vampire Passions for, well, you get the point. Mobile apps, such as Tinder and Grindr, connect potential matches based on tidbits like mutual Facebook friends and geographic proximity.

    As the online market grows, success stories are accumulating.

    Originally posted here:
    Looking for love online: Is Madison's singles pool big enough for dating success?

    Fueling aviation with hardwoods - May 10, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    May 08, 2014 Professor Bond is a team member and lead author of of a summary on the use of technology designed to transform lignocellulosic biomass into a jet fuel surrogate via catalytic chemistry. Credit: Syracuse University

    A key challenge in the biofuels landscape is to get more advanced biofuelsfuels other than corn ethanol and vegetable oil-based biodieselinto the transportation pool. Utilization of advanced biofuels is stipulated by the Energy Independence and Security Act; however, current production levels lag behind proposed targets. Additionally, certain transportation sectors, such as aviation, are likely to continue to require liquid hydrocarbon fuels in the long term even as light duty transportation shifts to alternative power sources.

    A multi-university team lead by George Huber, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has addressed both challenges through the concerted development of technology designed to transform lignocellulosic biomass into a jet fuel surrogate via catalytic chemistry. This promising approach highlights the versatility of lignocellulose as a feedstock and was recently summarized in the journal Energy & Environmental Science by team member and lead author Jesse Q. Bond, Syracuse University Assistant Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering.

    Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant natural resource that includes inedible portions of food crops as well as grasses, trees, and other "woody" biomass. According to the United States Department of Energy, the United States could sustainably produce as much as 1.6 billion tons of lignocellulose per year as an industrial feedstock. Lignocellulose can be processed to yield various transportation fuels and commodity chemicals; however, current strategies are not generally cost-competitive with petroleum. Here, Huber's team presents a comprehensive approach toward streamlining biomass processing for the production of aviation fuels. The proposed technology hinges on efficient production of furfural and levulinic acid from sugars that are commonly present in lignocellulosic biomass. These two compounds are then transformed into a mixture of chemicals that are indistinguishable from the primary components of petroleum-derived aviation fuels.

    The technology was demonstrated through a multi-university partnership that brought together expertise in biomass processing, catalyst design, reaction engineering, and process modelling. Economic analysis suggests that, based on the current state of the technology, jet fuel-range hydrocarbons could be produced at a minimum selling price of $4.75 per gallon. The work also identifies primary cost drivers and suggests that increasing efficiency in wastewater treatment and decreasing catalyst costs could reduce that amount to $2.88 per gallon.

    "This effort exemplifies the impact of a well-designed collaboration," said Bond. "As individual researchers, we sometimes focus too narrowly on problems that we can resolve using our own existing skills. Biomass refining is complex, and bio-based aviation fuels are difficult targets. Many of the real roadblocks occur at scarcely-studied research intersections. In our view, the only meaningful way to tackle these challenges is through strategic partnerships, and that is precisely what we've done in this program."

    Explore further: Vertimass licenses ORNL biofuel-to-hydrocarbon conversion technology

    More information: Paper: pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2014/EE/C3EE43846E#!divAbstract

    Vertimass LLC, a California-based start-up company, has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology that directly converts ethanol into a hydrocarbon blend-stock for use in transportation fuels.

    Dwindling crude oil reserves, accompanied by rising prices and environmental concerns, have led to increased interest in the use of renewable fuels. Biofuels produced from waste agricultural or forestry material ...

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    Fueling aviation with hardwoods

    Pool and Billiard Halls in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld - May 8, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    New York, NY (PRWEB) May 07, 2014

    The Pool and Billiard Halls industry steadily declined over the past five years, with revenue falling due to stagnant income growth following the recession. Consumer confidence in the economy sharply declined, causing consumers to sharply decrease discretionary spending on leisure and entertainment. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, 56.7% of billiards participants are aged 25 to 54, a demographic group that was hard hit by the recession. Despite the gradual economic recovery in recent years, demand for pool halls continued to suffer due to low consumer confidence and high external competition. As a result, IBISWorld expects industry revenue to fall at an annualized rate of 0.4% to $750.0 million in the five years to 2014.

    Long-term pool and billiards participation trends have negatively impacted the industry. According to Statista, a statistics firm, the number of participants in billiards and pool have fallen from a high of 51.1 million in 2007 to just 35.2 million in 2012 (latest available data). Additionally, according to Vending Times' Census of the Industry survey, the number of coin-operated pool tables at bars and pool halls fell from a high of 332,000 in 2007 to 260,000 in 2010, with this downward trend estimated to continue in recent years. Although revenue slightly picked up in 2011, younger consumers have continued to turn to video games, mobile technology and other alternative entertainment options. Furthermore, as the economy recovered and consumers returned to work, time available for leisure activity also declined. According to IBISWorld Industry Analyst David Yang, These negative trends are anticipated to continue in 2014, with revenue estimated to fall 4.1%.

    The Pool and Billiard Halls industry is anticipated to continue to decline over the next five years, despite improving macroeconomic conditions across the board. Pool halls are projected to contract as negative participation trends will likely continue. In particular, pool halls will continue to have difficulty attracting younger customers, who will likely have even more entertainment options available in the coming years, says Yang. Although pool halls are anticipated to depend more heavily on higher margin food, beverage and merchandise sales as a source of revenue, profit will likely remain low due to external competition and rising wage costs as operators hire more employees to serve food. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts industry revenue to fall in the five years to 2019.

    For more information, visit IBISWorlds Pool and Billiard Halls in the US industry report page.

    Follow IBISWorld on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/IBISWorld.

    Friend IBISWorld on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IBISWorld/121347533189.

    IBISWorld industry Report Key Topics

    The Pool and Billiard Halls industry operates facilities where consumers can play cue sports, such as eight-ball and nine-ball. Also known as billiard halls, these facilities may also offer gaming machines, foosball, darts and other games.

    Industry Performance Executive Summary Key External Drivers Current Performance Industry Outlook Industry Life Cycle Products & Markets Supply Chain Products & Services Major Markets Globalization & Trade Business Locations Competitive Landscape Market Share Concentration Key Success Factors Cost Structure Benchmarks Barriers to Entry Major Companies Operating Conditions Capital Intensity Key Statistics Industry Data Annual Change Key Ratios

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    Pool and Billiard Halls in the US Industry Market Research Report Now Available from IBISWorld

    S. Sudan govt: Troops capture 2 towns from rebels - May 5, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    By TOM ODULA and ELIAS MESERET Associated Press

    ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Government troops captured a rebel stronghold and took back control of another town, sending rebels fleeing toward the Ethiopian border, a South Sudanese military spokesman said Monday. Fighting around the important oil town, however, was still being reported.

    The government offensive comes just days after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that he was ready to hold peace talks with the rebel leader, former Vice President Riek Machar. But a spokesman for Machar's negotiating team in Ethiopia told The Associated Press on Monday that Machar first wants a "program" that includes a timeline for the formation of a transitional government as well as its composition and structure.

    "The Americans are pushing us to go to Juba and form an interim government. We cannot go there without an agreement on a program first. We need to know who will be in that transitional government, in what capacity, for how long and issues like that," said the spokesman, Yohanis Musa Pouk.

    Government troops have taken over the rebel base of Nasir, in the Upper Nile state and re-captured the capital of the oil-producing Unity state, Bentiu, from rebel control, Col. Philip Aguer said.

    Bentiu was taken after a day-long exchange of fire Sunday with an unknown number of casualties, Aguer said. However, a security official in South Sudan who insisted on anonymity said reports indicated fighting around Bentiu is still ongoing.

    Nasir was the rebel headquarters from where the rebels were mobilizing to attack the town of Malakal, Aguer said. He said Machar and his troops are now somewhere near the Ethiopian border. Pouk said that Machar is still inside South Sudan but he added that Machar will meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn "very soon."

    Kerry met with Kiir on Friday in South Sudan's capital Juba and afterward announced during a press briefing that Kiir had expressed willingness to meet with Machar. Kiir then flew to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi where he met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and announced that he is willing to hold the talks with Machar to discuss how to end the conflict in South Sudan.

    South Sudan has been rocked by violence since December, when Kiir accused Machar of staging a coup. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and 1 million people have fled their homes due to the conflict. A peace deal signed in January has failed. With few residents tending crops, U.N. officials say the country faces a severe risk of famine in the months ahead.

    The violence is increasingly taking on an ethnic dimension between Kiir's Dinka community and Machar's Nuer community.

    More here:
    S. Sudan govt: Troops capture 2 towns from rebels

    Lush landscape, relaxed feel - May 2, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    When a mid-century house at 220 Onondaga Ave., right behind Kevin and Minnie Pulitzer McCluskeys home, came up for sale in 2008, the couple bought it, thinking that it would be an ideal home for Minnies mother, once she had sold her own house.

    But the late Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau, who died in April 2013, never lived on Onondaga Avenue, having remained in her longtime home at 710 S. County Road, which sold last December.

    The house behind the McCluskeys would have been a fine fit for her, Minnie said.

    It was in great shape, as it had already been renovated before we bought it, Minnie said. All we needed to do was repaint some of the rooms and change some of the landscaping, making it even more lush.

    Thats about it. We even kept the patio furniture because it was lovely. All we had to do was recover it.

    With 2,872 square feet of living space, inside and out, the mid-block house has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. It stands a few lots west of the point where North Ocean Boulevard makes its final curve to accommodate the beachfront estates on the northern tip of the island.

    Moms property was so big, and this place would have been perfect. She was so excited, and since our property backs up to it, we could have opened the yards up and combined them. My son, Jack, could have done a cannonball in the pool right next to her every day.

    That plan, though, was not to be. So the McCluskeys have listed the house for sale at $2.4 million with Brown Harris Stevens, where Minnie is a real estate agent.

    Its priced to sell, she said. Its great. We are a little prejudiced, of course.

    A circular driveway leads to the clean-lined, one-story stucco home, painted a pale terra-cotta color with white trim. A wall of Art Deco-style glass blocks by the front door greets visitors. There are built-in shelves in the entry.

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    Lush landscape, relaxed feel

    Michael Spencer's Make It Green: Add color, variety to your community landscape - May 2, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Hold on for just a moment while we finish setting up your account..

    Your Digital Subscription to the Naples Daily News is now active. Enjoy unlimited access to NaplesNews.com and the Naples Daily News smartphone and tablet apps.

    Note: your login information will be needed the first time you access NaplesNews.com and the Naples Daily News smartphone and tablet apps.

    Your Premium Subscription to Naples Daily News is now active. In addition to your home delivery service, enjoy unlimited access to NaplesNews.com and the Naples Daily News smartphone and tablet apps.

    Note: your login information will be needed the first time you access NaplesNews.com and the Naples Daily News smartphone and tablet apps.

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    Michael Spencer's Make It Green: Add color, variety to your community landscape

    St Louis Landscaping Company Artistic Group Inc. Adds Staff to Better Meet Customer Demands - April 29, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) April 29, 2014

    In order to prepare for the upcoming season and improve job sites both large and small, Artistic Group Inc. has announced the hiring of several new employees. Artistic Group Inc. is a family-owned St. Louis landscaping business that serves residents of the St. Louis area; its primary demographic is upper-end residential families who are looking to add living areas to outdoor spaces.

    Among the hires is a new project manager who has 20 years of experience in the industry. He has actually been with the company for the past five months, and was just promoted to the new position. This promotion should give Artistic Group Inc. the ability to better monitor and complete projects at multiple homes.

    In an effort to generate more business, this St. Louis landscapers company has also hired a new salesman with experience in 3-D CAD programming. He was running a pool company in Dallas before moving to the area, and he will assist Artistic Group Inc. in giving potential customers 3-D landscaping models.

    Over the past few weeks, several other employees, including carpenters, have also been added to the business's staff. The additions will allow the company to make sure jobs are run smoothly and efficiently, and enable them to take on more jobs as a whole. That will be beneficial to both Artistic Group Inc. and their future clients.

    The new hires are expected to take the company to the next level and continue to provide the utmost in not just landscaping services, but also St. Louis retaining walls, pool and spa, waterscaping, irrigation, patio, decks and masonry work.

    About Artistic Group, Inc.

    Artistic Group, Inc. is a family owned St. Louis landscaping company that offers innovative landscape design services and free estimates for any size job. For more information, client testimonials, and to view a gallery of projects, visit http://artisticgroupinc.com.

    Contact: Nicole Onstott, President Website: http://artisticgroupinc.com/ Address: 8661 Grant Road St. Louis, MO 63126 St. Louis, Mo 63126 Phone: 314-270-9292 Email: Info(at)artisticgroupinc(dot)com

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    St Louis Landscaping Company Artistic Group Inc. Adds Staff to Better Meet Customer Demands

    Sonria aims to be Gem of the South - April 28, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    GeoEstates Alabang Project

    Boutique developer GeoEstate Development Corp. puts huge emphasis on the importance of a well-designed landscaping. During the planning stages of Sonria, its latest foray into Alabang housing, GeoEstates senior management team put much thought into the projects landscape design.

    The advantage of working in a smaller firm is that we can afford to be meticulous with every aspect of our project so that we can come up with an entirely distinctive offering, explained president and COO Miriam Katigbak.

    This obsession for details is evident in Katigbaks vision for Sonria, which is a modern enclave that retains the character of the Alabang suburb. Because its prospective buyers belong to that sophisticated market that advocates appearances and green space, GeoEstate teamed up with a design firm with capabilities to make that goal tangible.

    Crearis Environmental Design, the landscape architectural agency tapped for Sonria, integrated concepts that are modern yet, sympathetic to the environment.

    The design we will implement is more sensitive to the land. For instance, instead of cutting down full-grown trees within the property, the hardscape intends to accommodate those trees, Crearis managing director Michael Espiritu said.

    Sustainable practices will be the focal point in Sonrias landscape design. A storm water retention system will be erected to prevent flooding and erosion caused by heavy rains. The terrain where the property sits was also considered during the planning process.

    For its softscape features, indigenous plants that are compatible with Alabangs soil quality and Philippine weather will be used.

    Despite its eco-friendly undertones, the aesthetic merits of the scheme cannot be overlooked. Katigbak revealed that the projects landscape design was carefully planned to blend seamlessly with the blueprint of the entire project.

    The faade below will showcase a shrub-lined driveway that ends at a veranda drop-off, instead of the customary canopied entrance. The veranda is a perfect convergence point for friends and neighbors as it provides a great view of the garden and reflecting pool with fountain.

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    Sonria aims to be Gem of the South

    Celebrating the southern landscape - April 27, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Turns out Thomas Wolfe was wrong: you can go home again.

    So declared Frances Mayes, who returned to the South in 2007 to live in Hillsborough, N.C., after decades of exile in California and Italy (the latter serving as a beguiling setting for several memoirs, including Under the Tuscan Sun).

    Its changed drastically, in most ways for the better, Mayes said of the South, counting greater racial and gender equality among them. But I feel a deep familiarity, too.

    It is the past, not the present, that fuels her new memoir, Under Magnolia, which poignantly recounts her upbringing in Georgia.

    Recently Mayes talked about places that played significant roles in her childhood, from her hometown, Fitzgerald, to Georgias verdant barrier islands. The following are edited excerpts from the conversation.

    Q: Is there any place from your childhood you return to often?

    A: That whole string of islands, the Golden Isles of Georgia, is a favorite of mine. Theyre spectacular: marshes on one side, wide sandy beaches on the other. As a child I loved Jekyll Island. It was a playground for Northern robber barons, but after World War II it was largely abandoned. So there were all of these beautiful, deserted, shingled mansions, which were oddly enough called cottages. It was a mysterious place for a child to explore. Now a lot of the houses have been restored, and the Jekyll Island Club, which was private, is now a hotel. Its a very gracious place to stay, with croquet courts, a swimming pool, enormous moss-strewn oak trees.

    I absolutely love Little St. Simons Island, which is a private island, and has only one place to stay, the Lodge on Little St. Simons Island. Id say its comfortably rustic, but what makes it so special is that its a 7-mile beach with no one on it. To paddle around in the marshes, alone privacy is the ultimate luxury to me.

    Q: You grew up in Fitzgerald. Any reason for a tourist to pass through?

    A: Im not sure if it would hold as much interest to a tourist as it does to me, but its nice just to ride around and see how its laid out. It was built by soldiers, Northern and Southern, after the War between the States, as a colony dedicated to reunifying the country. Many of the streets in the town center are named for Northern and Southern generals, and the towns four borders are named after Southern and Northern battleships. Even the cemetery is laid out like the Battle of Gettysburg. It has one bizarre aspect: This particular breed of exotic chicken roams the town freely, which means you cant sleep beyond 6 a.m. because theyre making so much racket.

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    Celebrating the southern landscape

    Designing Up - April 24, 2014 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Venice as architectural laboratory

    By Joe Piasecki

    If anything defines Venice architecture, its that creativity is contagious.

    Like nowhere else in Southern California, homeowners color outside the lines of traditional design to fashion dwellings that reflect individual lifestyles and tastes. But rather than clash, these various styles somehow mesh together into a cohesive landscape.

    Take the Superba Avenue home of architect Doug Pierson and designer Youn Hee Choi (featured on the cover) a 1,500-square-foot structure defined by sloping trapezoidal roof lines and walls of white metal and hardwood that floats above 600 square feet of ground tucked behind a 1950s stucco bungalow.

    Two doors down stands an early 1900s wooden carriage house that had once operated on Venice Boulevard, markedly different in design from the palette of high concept contemporary and more conventional homes in the immediate neighborhood.

    The nice thing about Venice is that as long as people take care in expression and sense of place the design of the house tends to fit in. So you can have an historic carriage house right next to a contemporary house, and it makes perfect sense, said Pierson. Its much more of a vibe than a physical description [that defines Venice architecture].

    While its true that Los Angeles city codes dictate the size but not the architectural style of homes, what makes Venice special is that homeowners tend to be more willing to use that freedom, said architect Ron Radziner, a partner in the firm Marmol Radziner.

    Ultimately its the people who live in Venice, influenced by eclectic and interesting architecture, that give us the ability to visualize how homes can be unique statements, Radziner said.

    The Pierson-Choi residence, completed in 2012, is one of 30 homes on display May 3 during the 21st annual Venice Garden & Home Tour, an event benefitting the local Neighborhood Youth Association.

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    Designing Up

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