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In their first organized scrimmage of 2012, the Houston Dynamo first team defeated the Dynamo Academy 3-0, Saturday morning, at the Houston Amateur Sports Park. The open scrimmage was an opportunity for fans to see the Academy U-18s take on a mix of first team players and trialists after the first week of preseason training.
The Dynamo began the match with mostly trialists against the Academy U-18 squad. Academy goalkeeper Leopoldo Castillo - who started in place of injured goalkeeper Fernando Piña - was tested early and often. In the 16th minute, Trinidadian forward Darryl Roberts got behind the Academy defense and into the penalty box. Castillo came out and grabbed the ball off the foot of Roberts, but was called for foul after the referee ruled that he also grabbed the forward's foot. On the ensuing penalty kick, Castillo dove to his right and stopped the shot from newly acquired Nathan Sturgis.
Minutes later, Castillo was tested again when Karo Okiomah picked up a loose ball and went in untouched toward the Academy goal. Castillo stood his ground and parried away the attempt to keep the game scoreless. The Dynamo first team out-shot the Academy 12-2 in the first half - and 28-3 for the game - and forced Castillo to make six of his game-high 13 saves in the first 45 minutes.
After a scoreless first half, Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear went to his bench and brought in 10 returning players from last year's squad, including three-fourths of the backline - Geoff Cameron will resume training next week - that led Houston to the 2011 MLS Cup final. The intensity quickly ratcheted up, and it did not take long for the Dynamo to break through.
In the 53rd minute, midfielder Josue Soto used an array on dribbling skills to get into the penalty box before he was taken down by Academy midfielder Samuel Omondi. Colin Clark stepped up to the ball and fired it past Castillo to give the Dynamo their first lead.
Minutes later, it was Clark who dribbled past two defenders before being taken down in the penalty box. Homegrown midfielder Alex Dixon took the shot but Castillo dove right again and stopped the intial attempt. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper, the ball bounced back toward Dixon and he sent it into the open net to double the Dynamo's lead.
The Academy's best opportunity came in the second half, when Omondi picked up a loose ball and attempted to beat goalkeeper Erich Marscheider from 30 yards. Although the attempt had good pace and began to dip as it reached the goal, the ball ricocheted off the crossbar and away for a goal kick. The Academy mustered only three shot attempts on the day.
Dynamo first-round draft pick Colin Rolfe entered the game at halftime and was very active for the first team. Rolfe nearly scored his first goal off a give-and-go with Will Bruin in the 79th minute. Rolfe received the ball at the top of the 18-yard box and fired low past Castillo, but the ball hit off the far post and was cleared away. Minutes later, however, Rolfe opened his scoring account when his attempt on goal hit off left back Christian Gonzalez and sailed over the head of a helpless Castillo.
The Dynamo first team will return to action on Wednesday when they take on San Jacinto Junior College at 10:30 a.m. at the Houston Amateur Sports Park. The Dynamo Academy will return to USSF Developmental League action next Saturday when they take on Solar at the Houston Amateur Sports Park. The U-18s kick off a 11 a.m. with the U-16s to follow at 1:30 p.m.
Houston Dynamo vs. Dynamo Academy
January 28, 2012 -- Houston Amateur Sports Park
Preseason Scrimmage
Scoring Summary:
HOU -- Colin Clark 54
HOU -- Alex Dixon 57
HOU -- Colin Rolfe 82
Houston Dynamo first team first half -- Erich Marscheider, Warren Creavalle, Nathan Sturgis, Oscar Recio, Brian Ownby, Jorge Escobar, Daniel Roberts, Philip Aseweh, Eder Arreola, Karo Okiomah, Darryl Roberts.
Houston Dynamo first team second half -- Erich Marscheider, Andre Hainault, Bobby Boswell, Jermaine Taylor, Corey Ashe, Alex Dixon, Josue Soto (Je-Vaughn Watson 81), Adam Moffat, Colin Clark, Will Bruin, Colin Rolfe.
Houston Dynamo Academy -- Leopoldo Castillo, Christian Gonzalez, Bradley Bourgeois, Erick Tello, Alex Ochoa (Luis Esquivel 53), Christian Diaz (Trey Richardson 60), Samuel Omondi (Raymundo Marquez 73, Martin Agredo 81), Jorge Andrade, Jose Cubillan (Irvin Ramirez 60), Manuel Chavez (Luis Thomas 53), Carlos Ibarra (Manuel Chavez 88).


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USGBC releases ruling
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has released its LEED Interpretation Ruling, which sets the standard for recycled content claims and documentation for LEED projects. The official LEED Interpretation Ruling deems national averages unacceptable for LEED documentation and is a step toward total product transparency and industry integrity.
The ruling addresses the issue of potential "greenwashing" by some manufacturers. The LEED Interpretation Ruling states: "An average recycled content claim, especially one that incorporates multiple product lines or places of manufacture, does not meet the credit intent and is not acceptable for LEED documentation." The ruling demands product- and plant-specific recycled content evaluation and documentation. It also states "recycled content claims must be specific to the installed product (and therefore place of manufacture); regional or national claims do not meet credit requirements."
USGBC's clarification provides a transparent, clear system for LEED project teams pursuing the recycled content credit. Recycled content documented on a plant and product basis allows the most sustainable products to be selected within LEED projects and fosters continual improvement in products and operations.

subset: commoncrawl


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by adventurer
08/18/2016 00:42 in interracial
Warning!!! The central male figure in this story gets cuckolded! Those of you, for whom this is a problem, should go on to something different. If you do decide to read on, please know that I have intended to portray him as an exceptionally strong character and anything but a wimp! However successfu
help for marriage classic lineRead More


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Zoë Sharp wrote her first novel when she was 15. It was not until 2001, however, after she had tried her hand at jobs ranging from van driver to newspaper ad sales to motoring correspondent, that she finally publisher her breakout Charlie Fox novel Killer Instinct. Fox, the self-defence instructor with a shady military background, has proved hugely popular with readers through nine novels and has been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox TV. We brought Zoë in for questioning to see who she would like to see playing Charlie on screen, and what TV shows tick the right boxes for her…
Your favourite British crime series or thriller on TV?
First of all, I should declare that I don't have 'proper' telly. My TV set is just a monitor connected to a DVD player, so in order to watch something I have to have heard enough good reports to go out and buy the series on DVD. There have been quite a few I've bought and either watched one series but not been inspired to rush back for the rest, or that I've given up on part-way through.
I suppose of recent stuff it has to be Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role as the modern-day Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr Watson. I enjoyed the stylish series about professional con artists, Hustle, and going back years I used to be a huge fan of The Professionals. I also thought The Fixer with Andrew Buchan as government-sanctioned assassin John Mercer, and Vincent with Ray Winstone as the titular private detective, were both very good, but only lasted two short seasons. I LOVED the adaptations the BBC did of three Lord Peter Wimsey stories in the 1980s (which I re-watched recently) with Edward Petherbridge as Wimsey and Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane.
|Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in Sherlock. Pic: BBC
Favourite US crime series or thriller on TV?
NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles vie for the top spot, along with Human Target, about ex-assassin turned protector Christopher Chance. The original CSI is always entertaining, although I giggle at the procedure. [That's what I refer to as 'CSI Classic' (Las Vegas) rather than 'CSI Lite' (Miami) or 'CSI Dark' (New York)] I'm currently watching the second series of Lie To Me with Tim Roth as Dr Cal Lightman, human lie-detector, which is pretty good, but is it strictly crime? Oh, and I saw the first series of Justified about US Marshal Raylan Givens with Timothy Olyphant—excellent stuff!
Of made-for-TV movies – do they count? – the best has to be the Jesse Stone adaptations of Robert B Parker's series about the police chief of small New England town Paradise, with Tom Selleck in the title role. Beautifully shot, beautifully scored, and acted with superb understated skill, although only the first few were scripted by Parker himself and I think you can really tell when someone else takes over.
Top TV cop?
Hmm, got to be Sherlock Holmes again, I think, in any of his incarnations. I used to watch reruns of the old black-and-white Basil Rathbone versions, although Nigel Bruce played Watson as such a bumbler. The Jeremy Brett series was excellent, but the current modern setting is extremely well done.
Which unfilmed book/character should be made into a TV drama?
Quintin Jardine's series about tough Edinburgh cop Bob Skinner is one of my favourites. Or JD Robb's futuristic series about New York detective Lt Eve Dallas. (Because I guess I'm not allowed to nominate my own Charlie Fox series, although it was optioned by Twentieth-Century Fox TV…?)
If one of your novels were filmed, who would you cast to be the hero?
I'd love the British actress who narrates my UK audiobook versions to be considered—Clare Corbett. I've really got used to hearing her voice as Charlie. But I thought Natalie Tena (Nymphadora Tonks in the Harry Potter films) would be excellent, or Kate Beckinsale (particularly liked her in the Underworld films). And I recently saw Haywire with mixed martial arts champion Gina Carano in her first movie role, and she would kick some serious arse as Charlie. But the truth is, because the books are written in first-person—and therefore I look out through Charlie's eyes all the time—I see the other characters in more detail than my main protagonist. I always describe her fairly lightly, so readers can picture her inside their own minds.
What do you watch with a guilty conscience (or what's your guilty pleasure)?
The first couple of series of Ultimate Force about an SAS troop, with Ross Kemp, Tony Curran, and Jamie Draven. Didn't like the later couple of series as much when they'd had big cast changes. It's incredibly macho-macho, but fun as well. Never been into typically girlie TV, I'm afraid—Sex and the City and Friends largely passed me by.
Least favourite cop show/thriller? I grew up absolutely loving the Leslie Charteris books about Simon Templar, The Saint, but I couldn't even finish sitting through the dreadful Val Kilmer movie version a few years ago. Such a disappointment. I wasn't even a big fan of the Roger Moore or Ian Ogilvy TV versions from the 1960s and 1070s. The original books were written and set in the 1930s. It would be very cool to see a period adaptation, one that stuck closer to the original criminal ethos of the character rather than making him into a somewhat wet private detective.
Do you prefer The Wire or The Sopranos?
Dreadful admission time—I haven't watched enough of either series to form an opinion.
|David Suchet as Poirot. Pic ITV
Marple/Poirot or Sherlock Holmes?
Definitely Holmes, I'm afraid, although I find the David Suchet version of Poirot slightly more watchable than Miss Marple.
Wallander – BBC or the Swedish version?
Not watched either <gulp>. Which do you recommend? Actually, I recently saw part of the Swedish-language version of the first of the Stieg Larsson trilogy and found that after a while I was making sense of the language in little snatches, so if I was going to take a flyer on one or the other, I'd try the Swedish version I think.
US or British television crime dramas?
I like both. As long as the scripts are good and they're well acted, who cares? At the moment there are probably far more US crime dramas I watch enough to buy the series on DVD, rather than UK. Not sure why that should be…
Your favourite crime/thriller writers?
Ooh, how long have you got? In no particular order: Lee Child, Robert B Parker, Quintin Jardine, JD Robb, Jeffery Deaver, Harlan Coben, John Connolly, Clive Cussler, Dick Francis, CJ Ellisson, Matt Reilly, Timothy Hallinan, Brett Battles, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Lee Goldberg, Blake Crouch, PD Martin, Alexandra Sokoloff, SJ Rozan, Ken Bruen, Terry Pratchett, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L Sayers (with or without Jill Paton Walsh) …
Best new crime author to look out for?
Probably Bruce DeSilva. I just read an ARC of his second novel, Cliff Walk, a follow-up to his award-winning debut, Rogue Island, and he has a terrific style, and a great eye for character and ear for dialogue.
Favourite non-crime/thriller author?
I think I'd go for Dan Walsh, a Mancunian motorcycle journalist who wrote a brilliant book about his travels on two wheels around Africa and South America called These Are the Days that Must Happen to You. He's a prose-poet, just brilliant.
Favourite crime movie or thriller?
Again, there are a few, including those Jesse Stone TV movie adaptations I already mentioned. Front and centre is Ronin with Robert Di Niro, superbly directed by John Frankenheimer. That movie also has one of the best director's commentaries I've ever listened to. Under Siege is still one of my favourites, too, plus Heat, The Usual Suspects, Inside Man, and True Lies. Some movies you watch once and go, 'Well, I've seen that now, I don't need to see it again.' And others become perennial favourites—comfort movies you put on when it's raining outside and you're feeling a bit below par, because you know you're going to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
You've been framed for murder. Which fictional detective/sleuth would you want to call up?
If I needed someone to prove it wasn't me, I'd call on Sherlock Holmes, but if I needed someone to come and bust me out of jail, it would have to be Jack Reacher.
• Zoë's latest Charlie Fox thriller is Fifth Victim (UK paperback, left, due 30 July; US hardback, right, is already out). While the life of her lover, Sean, hangs in the balance, Charlie throws herself into work protecting wild child Caroline, the daughter of a rich businessman, whose thrill-seeking threatens to put her and Charlie in danger…
Follow @crimetimeprev


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PARIS (AP) — French bank BNP Paribas said Friday its earnings slumped 45 percent in the first quarter amid a steep drop in corporate and investment banking as Europe's economic stagnation continued to bite.
The bank, France's largest by assets, said it made a net profit of 1.58 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in the January-March quarter, down from 2.87 billion euros a year earlier.
In a statement the bank said overall revenue rose rise 1.7 percent to 10.1 billion euros thanks to its asset management division, which benefited from rising global financial markets. Corporate and investment banking, however, saw earnings tumble about 30 percent to 806 million euros on a 21 percent drop in revenue that the bank blamed on weak markets and "occasional renewed tensions" in Europe's financial crisis.
"In a lackluster economic environment in Europe, BNP Paribas Group generated 1.6 billion euros in net income this quarter, thanks in particular to good control of costs and risks," CEO Jean-Laurent Bonnafe said in a statement.
Earlier this year, the bank announced a cost-cutting drive aimed at squeezing savings of 2 billion euros annually from 2015. About half of the savings are to come from its retail banking division, and another third from investment banking.
The bank booked 155 million euros in the first quarter in costs linked to this plan, and said many other projects are in the process of being launched.
BNP Paribas said its corporate and investment banking division was seeing "a gradual increase of deals in the pipeline" with revenue starting to pick up at the end of the quarter.


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Contemporary expressionist painter, writer, teacher, Canyon Road, Santa Fe, NM. Author of recently released "Bold Expressive Painting: Painting Techniques for Still Lifes, Florals and Landscapes in Mixed Media", Northlight Press, 2016
Contemporary Abstract Still Life Flower Art Painting "Autumn" by Santa Fe Artist Annie O'Brien Gonzales
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Click HERE for purchase info.
To view more of my work, visit http://www.annieobriengonzales.com
Click HERE for Annie O'Brien Gonzales Workshop Dates!!
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STOCKTON - Hailey Bethune seemingly had a choice to make.
STOCKTON - Hailey Bethune seemingly had a choice to make.
She simply didn't see it that way.
With two broken feet - one a stress fracture to her left foot suffered in April, the other a fracture to her right foot sustained Aug. 18 - she could have sat out this season.
Bethune, The Record's All-Area Player of the Year, had already committed to Washington State, was going to miss time with her right foot injury and the lone treatment for the left foot was sustained inactivity.
"She could have easily said, 'I'm just going to heel up. I've got my full ride.' But she really wanted to play," said Lincoln's Gabe Leal, The Record's Coach of the Year. "I think she was intrigued by winning one last league championship."
She did just that.
Bethune, a two-time Record All-Area first-team selection, led the Trojans to a 10-0 San Joaquin Athletic Association season and won her second league most valuable player award.
The overpowering outside hitter said missing her senior season was never a consideration, despite the stress fracture in her left foot that won't mend anytime soon.
"It's not going to heel unless I take six months off, and that's something I'm not going to do. It's just about pain management because it's not going to get any worse."
The individual and team success this year confirmed she made the right decision, she said.
"Being able to come back from the initial break and have such a great season, it made coming back so much more worthwhile."
Bethune missed the first six weeks. When she returned, Leal eased her back, limiting her to the back row for the first five matches. When she returned to the front row, she dominated. She finished with 290 kills, 228 digs and 57 blocks, modest numbers that clearly don't tell the story.
"Hailey Bethune is the best player in this area, hands down," Tokay coach Pam Buzo said.
Bethune will move to the right side at Washington State, and she's already focused on the things she'll work on during her upcoming season with the Northern California Volleyball Club.
"My goals are to get a lot better at blocking, and I want to get a lot of hitting reps because that's what's going to be needed of me," she said. "I also want to work on (playing) back row. I want to be able to help in every aspect, so if that means hitting out of the back row, that means I have to be able to play defense out of the back row."
Leal, who spent eight of the past nine seasons as Edison's head coach, expressed interest in the Lincoln coaching vacancy June 19. On June 20, he was offered the position.
It turned out to be a good call for the Trojans, who were a perfect 10-0 in the SJAA for the second time in three years. They beat El Dorado Hills-Oak Ridge in the first round of the playoffs, then lost to Granite Bay, the eventual Sac-Joaquin Section Division I runner-up.
The Trojans finished 22-14 behind a difficult schedule. Of the 12 teams that beat Lincoln (the Trojans lost to Auburn-Placer and Granite Bay twice), all advanced to the section playoffs, nine won at least a first-round match, three reached the finals and two - San Jose-Archbishop Mitty and Sacramento-El Camino - won section titles.
Leal was also The Record's Coach of the Year in 2007.
After being hired, Leal brought in Garren Allala and Rick McNabb as assistants, and together the three built a winner.
"I wouldn't say it's my stamp; it's our stamp," Leal said. "We play a different game. Our philosophy is speed kills. It's something these kids had to learn: different footwork, different setting techniques, different defensive techniques.
"Once the kids went through the rigors of the training, once they were able to understand it, they were successful."
Bethune, who played under three different coaches the past three years, made a point of complimenting predecessors Todd Goodwin - The Record's Coach of the Year in 2010 - and last year's coach, Gina Cano.
But from the beginning, she liked Leal's approach.
"He had us doing preseason conditioning, running around the track, getting in shape," she said. "As soon as the season started and we started practice, we would have an order to how we would practice. We would lay it all out on a white board and go through it step by step.
"We got into habits and those good habits transferred onto the court."
The coaching staff had worked together within the Rage Volleyball club program, but not coaching the same team.
"Rick and Garren, they're the backbone here, I think," Leal said. "We coached Rage Volleyball together. We're all really good friends. We all think alike. Garren's our mentor, Rick and myself.
"This is the first time, collectively, we've put our three minds together and said, 'OK, this is what we're going to work on.' It's been an awesome experience."
Contact reporter Stephen Roberson at (209) 546-8272 or email@example.com.


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Jan 15, 2008 at 2:07 am
like the new fox, i cant wait to have more than one
May 15, 2007 at 9:35 pm
sounds good its worth keepin good luck and let me know how it turns out. ha i wish i was so lucky as far as chicks diggin it ha mostly at my school there are rice burners but ha hey what do they know it was just a 2 year community school and im graduatin from there anyways well see if i can run across chicks with better taste at my next school in the fall ha good luck man.
Mar 7, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Thanks for the comment.
Theres a link to the full size image.
Theres a link to the full size image.


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EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — Prosecutors say a 25-year-old Washington state woman attacked another woman at a barbecue because she thought her shorts were too short.
Papers filed in Snohomish County Superior Court say the woman attending the June 22 party confronted the other woman, telling her that her shorts were too short. Several minutes later the suspect attacked the victim, knocking her to the ground.
The Daily Herald reports (http://bit.ly/VfYb3b ) the victim suffered broken facial bones and bleeding in the left eye.
The suspect is charged with felony assault.
Information from: The Daily Herald, http://www.heraldnet.com


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Woodcliff Lake-based Eagle Pharmaceuticals announced Tuesday the pricing of its initial public offering of 3.35 million shares of common stock at a price to the public of $15 per share.
According to the release, the shares are scheduled to begin trading on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "EGRX" on Feb. 12. Eagle is offering all of the shares of common stock. It has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 502,500 shares of common stock. The offering is expected to close on Feb. 18.
Piper Jaffray & Co. and William Blair & Company, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers. Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is acting as co-manager, the release said.
Solar sector in N.J. added – yes, added – jobs in 2013
EDA approves $81.9M in incentives for six new projects
ELEC to consider Christie campaign request to use, raise funds for subpoena response
Submit a nomination for General Counsel of the Year >


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At Hulu, we pay a lot of attention to what users say about us, and how Hulu fits into your lives. For many of you, we know that Hulu has become an important way to catch up on current TV — the place to go when you missed last night's episode of Glee, 30 Rock, or Modern Family. And when we read the discussions boards on Hulu.com and tweets from our users, it's clear to us that enjoying Hulu is about more than any one show. It's also about how your favorite shows relate to the rest of what is going on in pop culture.
Part of the fun is connecting the dots … TV, movies, web video, Twitter … what's hot, what's trending, and what's over. Lately, our users have been asking us for a quick and fun way to stay current on the latest in pop culture. We looked far and wide for a show that struck the right balance between being entertaining and being informative, but we just couldn't find something that hit the mark.
So today, we are previewing The Morning After, a new initiative from Hulu Labs designed to help our users stay current on the water cooler chatter of the day. Hosted by Brian Kimmet and Ginger Gonzaga, and available daily Monday through Friday on Hulu.com and Hulu Plus, The Morning After is a smart, daily shot of pop culture to help Hulu users stay up to date — all in less than five minutes.
In developing The Morning After, we were inspired by shows like The Big Show with Olbermann and Patrick, which blended the love of sports with brainy cultural references that easily move from emotional to funny in one segment. The Morning After aspires to be that kind of show, but for all things pop culture.
To build The Morning After, we selected Jace Hall and the very talented team at HDFilms, a production company devoted to creating extremely high quality content spanning multiple media. When we saw the caliber of work produced by HDFilms, we knew they were right the production team for this project.
We consider this our "preview" period for The Morning After. It's a chance for us to develop and evolve the show with your input. So please let us know what you think. We're at on email or @TMAonHulu on Twitter, and we're looking forward to your feedback.
Andy Forssell ()
Senior Vice President, Content & Distribution


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BlueMix Brings Enterprise DevOps to the MidMarket
SaaS pricing model bring PaaS to everyone
A couple of weeks ago I went up to Orlando for the IBM Innovation conference. The event was at the Swan/Dolphin resort in Disney World. IBM knows how to throw a conference and Innovate had all of the bells and whistles. But most of all it had great learning opportunities by hearing from some leading thinkers on what the future of development and software innovation looks like.
One thing on prominent display was IBM's BlueMix PaaS. Hosted on IBM's SoftLayer hosting platform but portable enough to play on other cloud infrastructure, BlueMix is an entire ecosystem of building blocks allowing you to build fully functional applications rapidly.
In typical IBM fashion BlueMix is a really deep, well thought out development platform. It is the kind of offering that midmarket companies typically look at yearningly, but know that price wise it may be out of their reach. For good reason, that kind of functionality typically doesn't come cheap. But we live in amazing times.
Thanks to the SaaS model that BlueMix is based on, this great PaaS platform is priced for everyone. Speaking to IBM I was told that BlueMix pricing probably won't be announced until the end of June. However I was assured that the pricing will very reasonable for even small organizations.
That is the promise of the SaaS model. Since it is hosted and you just "pay as you go" the best IBM has to offer is now within the grasp of smaller organizations. The cloud and DevOps are the ultimate equalizers.
So what can BlueMix do for you, now that you can afford it? Let's start with exactly what BlueMix is:
Bluemix is an implementation of IBM's Open Cloud Architecture, leveraging Cloud Foundry to enable developers to rapidly build, deploy, and manage their cloud applications, while tapping a growing ecosystem of available services and runtime frameworks.
BlueMix allows you to literally build a full featured app in minutes. The best way to show you I think is through one of the excellent videos the BlueMix team has put up. Here is a great demo of BlueMix in action:
https://youtu.be/ZR_jDitw0Sc (will be embedded in blog)
This kind of ease of use and power in building apps was only the stuff of dreams for even the biggest companies just a few years ago. Now this class of solution is within your reach.
If you haven't already you should check out a BlueMix demo during IBM's 200 days of BlueMix which are being held all over the world. I saw several demos during Innovate and was surprised how much was layered into BlueMix.
Of course Innovate wasn't all BlueMix. There was lots of great stuff on DevOps. My personal highlights were the keynote presentation by Gene Kim, author of the Phoenix Project and a friend of mine and the presentation by the CIO of GE Capital Bank, Vasanthi Sekhar. Both were excellent!
Overall a big theme of the show was that IBM is a leader in DevOps and that DevOps was not just for the Googles and Facebooks of the world. Big banks, insurance companies and other large organizations are all benefiting from using DevOps in their IT organizations. This was in direct contrast to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal that DevOps was not ready for the enterprise yet. Based on what I saw there is no doubt.
There was a lot of talk that next year IBM may be consolidating several of their larger shows like Innovate into one super show. If so, it will be a do not miss event.
In the meantime BlueMix pricing will be out around the end of the month and available to everyone. It could change the way you develop applications whether you are a large enterprise or a midmarket team.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I've been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions


text: 1page 2 of 12634125126 Back.Abe Weinstein Oral HistoryObject Number: 1994.007.0018Category: Oral HistoriesOral history interview subject: Abe WeinsteinOral history interviewer: Bob PorterType of Object: Oral historyDate: 08/16/1994Credit Line: Oral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey PlazaDimensions: 32 MinutesMedium: Hi-8 videotapeCopyright Info: The Sixth Floor Museum DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Abe Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein was the owner of the Colony Club, a burlesque establishment two doors down from Jack Ruby's Carousel Club on Commerce Street. Considered the most reputable burlesque establishment in Dallas, the Colony Club was the chief rival of Ruby's club. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on August 16, 1994 by Bob Porter. The interview is thirty-two minutes long.The video attached to this record is an excerpt. The entire interview is available in our Reading Room to on-site researchers or by submitting a Rights & Reproductions Request Form.Curator's NotesMr. Weinstein passed away on January 4, 2000. - Stephen Fagin, CuratorTags Colony Club Downtown Dallas Jack Ruby (OHC) Night clubs Oral histories Ruby, Jack Weinstein, Abe All requests for permission to reproduce, publish or broadcast materials in this collection must be submitted to the Museum's registrar, using the Rights & Reproductions Request Form. Inquiries may be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com.


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SaaSPath LTD necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 183 diseños de 57 diseñadores freelance.
Saaspath need a company logo. The logo needs to convey the forward thinking nature of this Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Software as a service (saas) consulting business. Logo will be used for website, letterheads and business cards.
Saaspath Ltd provides expert IT consulting services specifically dealing with hosted CRM systems.
Our business aim is to provide market leading, affordable salesforce CRM consulting services to small and medium sized businesses enabling these businesses to focus on customer interactions, maximise sales opportunities and grow.
We need to ensure a real distinction between saas and path, both must sit together in the name but saas is what we provide, 'path' is the journey to sucess and growth this is where we can take our customers. Path is almost the most important part of our title.
- Clear, clean easy to read logo, must be modern reflecting an IT company at the forefront of hosted services consulting.
- We also need a tag line to go underneath the business logo starting at the word 'path', at this stage we like 'Accelerate your business' but we are open to new suggestions.
- Warm Color scheme (e.g. deep purple, warm orange or burgandy)
- have a look at salesforce.com, see how the 'f' is styled we could do something similar with the 'p' in path or even the whole word 'path'.
- Dark backgrounds
- red and light colors
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Arrest made in Homefries heist
A suspect in the July 20 gunpoint robbery of Homefries Restaurant is in custody.
Johnston Police Maj. Frank Levesque said Papa D. Ba, 21, with a last known address of 48 Glenham St. in Providence, is charged with armed robbery and using a firearm while committing a crime of violence. He is being held at the ACI, with his arraignment scheduled for Aug. 4 in Third District Court.
Levesque said Providence police arrested Ba on July 30 on a charge of possessing a stolen firearm. At that point, he said, Providence detectives identified Ba as the Johnston robbery suspect through an image posted on the Rhode Island Most Wanted website.
Johnston was subsequently contacted, and Levesque said Ba was "positively identified by our witness" as the Homefries robbery suspect.
Levesque praised Johnston Detectives Thomas Dwyer and Anthony Sasso for their handling of the investigation, and said police wanted to get word of the arrest out to the community.
"We don't want people to be nervous and think they could be the next victim," he said.
The Homefries robbery occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. on the morning in question, when police say a black male went through the rear entrance of the 1417 Atwood Ave. restaurant with a handgun, held the weapon to a female employee's head and demanded money.
Levesque said approximately $3,000 was stolen during the incident. Police continue to investigate whether a vehicle or accomplice was involved, as well as the reason Homefries was targeted.
Just a hunch, but I'm sure Mr. Ba is simply accustomed to robbing restaurants Americans just don't want to rob.
Homeboy who robbed a Homefries now has a new home.


text:
Our Fiberglass Pergolas has become, hands down, our most popular item.
Main benefits of the Baldwin Fiberglass Pergolas:
* Constructed with fiberglass, stainless steel, copper flashing and aluminum plate
* Will last for decades with or without bi-annual cleaning
* Fully customizable to any size rectangle or square
* Designed for assembly with minimal tools and experience
* Intersections notched for strength, old world craftsmanship and ease of assembly
* No exposed fasteners - Very clean fit and finish
* Hollow members can conceal wires for lights and speakers, even water lines
The homeowners relayed measurements to us via email and we used that information to create the working plans. From there a footing layout was determined and footings were poured. Once in place the footings serve to anchor the pergola's structural fiberglass columns providing rigid base for the interlocking rafters and purlins.
Typically attached pergolas require a concrete footing or slab to support the columns. In some cases they can be mounted directly to a deck.
The white pergola works well with the existing trim and outdoor decor. We use a hard semi-gloss PPG coating that repels dirt and soot. Our high quality PPG coatings are available in custom colors!
This attached pergola was the perfect addition to this client's home. It provides a semi-covered area for entertaining guests while maintaining open space. This pergola utilizes a unique design to attach to the home, the ledger board is not carried the full width of the pergola and doesn't obstruct the masonry. Instead ledger blocks are fastened directly to the masonry wall providing a seamless look.
Our experienced design team can make any pergola look just right! In this case custom rafter offsets were calculated to avoid carrying the ledger beyond the house in order to produce an integrated aesthetic.
Enjoy your and impress your guests summer with a beautiful custom pergola by Baldwin!
This freestanding pergola provides cover for a custom outdoor kitchen and is perfect for entertaining guests all summer long!
At Baldwin custom colors are never a problem and we use only the best coatings available. Our AquaCron 200 is manufactured by industry leader PPG and will last for years to come.
When it comes to low maintainance the fiberglass is the clear choice. Fiberglass is extremely durable and doesn't require regular refinishing.
Here at Baldwin we know luxury. Whether your dream pergola is large or small Baldwin's got you covered. Call us today for a free design consultation with our expert design team.
We were provided with an architects conceptual drawing showing a "soon to be built" student center. The layout was circular and was radiating from the buildings lobby. Max Baldwin scaled the drawing and create a working CAD model. Each rafter would radiate at the appropriate angle.
Our rafters notch down over the tops of the beams. In this case, the beams were positioned at angles, so we notched each rafter at a unique angle, as required to create the semi-circle. This photo shows one of the pergolas laid out on the floor while the other pergola is upside down on the work bench.
There you see one of the pergolas framing an outdoor fireplace. I wonder if the architect noticed that we create a Hexastyle structure. Hexastyle: Having six frontal columns in the pergola, as in some Greek temples. [Greek hexastūlos, having six columns in front.
This is the Commencement Pergola where graduation ceremonies take place. It's 20' deep and 60' wide and needs to repel water. Our first design incorporated a pitched roof with fabric, but was beyond the budget restrictions.
We hired an awning shop to create a massive cover with grommets every four feet. We then fastened special twisting grommet fittings to the top of the pergola. The real challenge was designing the beams to withstand the anticipated weight of the fabric, wind and water.
Within the 2x8 beams are arched steel support assemblies designed like large leaf springs which supply constant upward support to the long spans. These sort of challenges drive us crazy and drive us forward simultaneously. Beaubian construction did the installation and reported back a full success.
Square columns have become very popular recently. In 2014 many of our customers requested square columns with recessed panels. It's a bit more formal and detailed. I think we all want to differnciate our style from anothers style. At Baldwin's we encourage that sort of thing.
I really like the beefiness of the 10x10 columns as they stand upon the stone wall. A pergolas job it to create a sense of security. The columns appear to be doing their jobs well.
Our client sent careful measurements to our designer and we were happy to customize the pergola top to accomodate the fireplace. Baldwin Pergolas are geometric. They only go together one way. The design stage is important.
Baldwin Pergolas started as an outdoor furniture company in 1986. We've sold about a thousand market umbrellas and of those about 950 were Hunter Green - like this shade system. The shades are available in almost a millions colors, so you get exactly what you setting calls for.
You design it. We built it. 30 days is all it takes.*
This is a different pergola, but was added here because of its similarities. In this case the rafter was severed and fit into the stonework to create the illusion that the rafter passes through the fireplace. Also notice that the top layer, the purlins, are cedar with a semi transparent white wash. These were also customized for the fireplace.
These homeowners embody the American dream coming true. The gentleman is a retired banker who now builds homes for needy folks by way of the Habitat For Humanity organization. He created this patio then Called Baldwins for the pergola which we installed.
A year later we went back and added an Easy Shade Overhead Canopy. The shade system is supported by a central aluminum rail with roller bearings inside. Because there is only one support, the shade cannot bind as it extends and retracts. The motion is fluid. We like that it can be locked at any point along the way by tightening the pull handle clockwise.
There's a good feeling associated with selling high quality products. The customers are happy and the feeling spreads. We are blessed with rewarding, productive occupations here. We're happy to be a part of our customers successes. We didn't make this shade system, but we were careful to select the highest quality shade system to supply to our customers.
The square columns with recessed panels are distinctive. The ones in the photo are 8" x 8". There is a boarder all around the recess which must always be considered and never overlooked. If this pergola were to be built on an uneven surface, then these columns would have to be special ordered and cut to exact lengths at the factory in Chicago. These cuts allow the perimeter around the recesses to be consist ant among the columns.
Without the pergola, the patio would not appear nearly as inviting. Pergolas were all the rage during the victorian era of the late nineteenth century. Around the 1920's the "Naturalist" movement gained popularity among garden designers and most garden structures were removed. With all we've learned about the damaging rays of the sun, I don't think we'll be repeating that bit of history.
Thank you in advance for allowing us to work with you and create beautiful backyard structures. It honors us to be a part of your project. Thank you, Max Baldwin and company.
Expert designer George Stumpf led the design process by meeting with us on site. We considered an attached pergola but ended up with a tall freestanding pergola.
The design is the fun part. Balancing all the potential pros and cons of each concept takes time, but the results are always worth the effort.
Anytime a pergola is taller than eight feet, we pretty much insist that you go with the 12" diameter or larger columns. Things need to be kept if proportion for appearance as well as for structural reasons. See our Spans section below.
We drew the location of each column on the stamped concrete patio. We set up our laser level and took elevations. We documented the overhangs and gutters then drew up a master site plan, on paper.
The challenge was designing the shade system to meet the clients criteria: All the patio must be shaded. We solved this problem with the triangular section of fabric. Our fabric shop did an amazing job.
Because of the height of the pergola and the scale of the job, we suggested using the massive 4" x 12" fiberglass beams. The cut is called Windsor. These are Tuscan style capitals.
Installation lasted two or three days. In the end, what matters most, is that the criteria was met and the clients were pleased.
Max Baldwin founded Baldwin Pergolas over 30 years ago and is considered a leading expert in the industry. With decades of experience you can count on Baldwin to get the job done right the first time! At Baldwin we care and we have an experienced design and sales team thats prepared to guide you through the process of creating your perfect pergola. Mike Hurlburt is our sales director and is ready to help you design and build your dream pergola TODAY!
You will not find any hollow plastic capitals and bases here. Everything we do is with the highest quality materials which are intended to last generations and longer. Our resin cast parts are thick, heavy and dense: Like stone. There is no reason to play around with cheap materials.
All fiberglass pergola manufacturers that we know of add a block of foam to the ends of a square fiberglass board. We put the foam on the inside then cut the profile with a diamond coated router bit. This technique is far superior because our rafter tails are orders of magnitude stronger and don't get damaged in shipping or installation.
All fiberglass pergola manufacturers that we know of add a block of foam to the ends of a square fiberglass board. We put the foam on the inside then cut the profile with a diamond coated router bit. This technique is far superior because our rafter tails are orders of magnitude stronger and don't get damaged in shipping or installation.
Notice where the foam stops and the fiberglass tube starts? This is a very weak way to build. Not good.
Max Baldwin and company pioneered the industry accepted column mounting system which uses threaded rods to connect columns to slabs or concrete footings. We use 5/8" inch diameter threaded rods to basically bolt the column to the concrete. In this case, the bolt is over eight feet long!
We use only stainless steel hardware in our pergolas. It costs more, but we don't make second rate pergolas. If it's not perfect, it's not a Baldwin.
We carefully design and notch our pergolas to make the structure more beautiful, stronger and easier to assemble. You just match the notches up and it slides together. No measuring is required.
We space our fiberglass rafters and purlins 20" inches on center. Online only pergolas are typically 24" on center. Our rafters are a true 2x8 which means that they are actually 2" inches by 8" inches on the tape measure.
All of our components at hollow which means running wires within the parts is not hard to do. Doing this after the pergola is complete is almost impossible, so be sure to plan ahead and coordinate your lighting plans with our design team.
We use Sherwin Williams industrial grade exterior paints and there are no restrictions to your color selection. In each case, we purchase screw caps to match your preferred color of paint. Our pergolas are built with a designers eye for quality. You will see nothing that is not eye pleasing.
Our typical attached pergola consists of a set of main beams running parallel to the house as well as a ledger that connects to the side of your the house. They require less columns, less footings and ultimately a lower price tag. Freestanding pergolas are more popular.
Our pergolas are available in standard sizes for ease of pricing, but we can custom tailor the size of your pergola down to the exact inch you require. Our order form makes this simple, but you'll need to tell us exactly where you want the centers of your columns. The best way to do this is to place pots or plates where the columns will be. Measure. Custom drawings will be created for your review and approval. 10" inch round and square columns have 13" inch base trim. 12" inch diameter columns have 15 1/2" base trim.
We encourage our customers to design short pergolas because they provide more shade. A perfect height is seven and a half to eight feet. Many projects require taller columns for a variety of reasons. The taller the pergola, the more stress on the columns and footings, so we require any pergola over eight feet tall be built with 12" diameter columns and larger footings.
The pergola in this picture needed to be very tall to preserve the views from the house and the scale of the house was large, so this pergola was a perfect fit!
Your columns can be round or square. Typically, if your house already has columns, the pergola is designed to share that architectural detail. In recent years, square columns have been gaining in popularity. Recessed panels are an option if you choose square columns. Flutes are an option if you choose round columns. If a pergola is larger then 180 square feet, large columns are recommended.
Almost all of our customers choose the Tuscan style capital and base as their preferred order of architecture because it has a clean, simple, somewhat modern look. On occasion someone might desire a more formal or distinctive architecture. Most popular among the many choices are the Ionic, the Corinthian and the Composite. The Composite combines the architecture of the Ionic and the Corinthian.
The cut on the rafter tail determines the architectural style of the pergola. Years ago everyone chose the Baldwin style. Last year everyone chose the Windsor style. Maybe 2015 will be the year of the Kensington rafter tail? If you would like a custom rafter tail, we can do that, just send a drawing or a photo. We'll design an proof and once you approve it, it's yours. We use diamond coated router bits and a computer controlled router to make the cuts, so they all come out exactly the same.
White is the default color for pergolas. White is the classic color. Look at the ancient temples of Rome and Greece: White. Banks, universities, courts, municipalities, churches: White, most especially white when examining the columns, capitals and bases. Above that you have beams, rafters and purlins which might be a color to match your home or trim colors. It's your canvas so you get to decide how you want your pergola. All fiberglass pergolas get painted at the factory. White is the default color and the cost of the paint job is included in the price. A custom color adds 5% to the project.
Its the finer details that distinguish a fine home. Baldwin Pergolas allows one to make that distinction with subtle copper flashing. Historically the columns were made of wood and their tops required protection from rain and sun. A sheet of copper would be custom bent to protect the capital. Only a quart inch of flashing can be seen from ground level, but for people that care about architecture and appreciate craftsmanship, this flashing seals the deal.
Our pergolas were specifically designed to make installation easy. If a task can be done at the factory, it gets done at the factory. After completing thousands of installations, we can confidently say that no job is every easy. Unexpected site conditions are the primary reason. We bring every tool known to man and use most of them during the installation. You will see installation service on the order form, but it is only available if you live within 100 miles of our factory located in 06457, excepting special conditions.
Overhead fabric sun-shades have become more and more popular in recent years. Our preferred shade consists of one large sheet of fabric which extends and retracts. More information is available in our Shade Systems section of the web site.
Footing: A concrete anchor which holds the pergola to the earth. They need to be deeper than the frost line, but also large enough and deep enough to hold the pergola to the Earth during a strong wind. Footing size should never be less the 42" deep and 12" diameter.
Pier: This in a stone wall on which a pergola can be mounted. The pier is always supported by a footing or a concrete slab.
Column: Our columns are hollow, cast fiberglass, vertical supports which anr load bearing. They stand atop the footing or pier and support the pergola. At the top of the column is the capital. At the bottom is the base.
Main Beams: The beam which sits atop the columns and supports the rafters. The main beams consist of a set of two parallel 2x8's which are spaced 5" apart. The beams are hollow and may contain wires for lights or speakers. Some beams are built to conceal water lines as well.
Rafters: These are the primary shade creating members that make up the pergola. They are 2" thick by 8" tall. They notch down over the main beams and support the purlins
Purlins: These make up the top layer of the pergola. Each purlin measures 2" thick by 3" tall. They notch down over the rafters and keep the rafters in a perfect grid.
Overhang: This is the distance from the center of a column to the tip of the rafter or purlin.
We specially manufacture our fiberglass members to include a subtle upward curve, otherwise known as a crown. This allows us to span greater distances without any sagging of parts. Extreme spans require engineering and custom solutions such as internal aluminum reinforcement or other advanced techniques.
Spans are measured from center of footing to center of footing. Often the design calls for large open spans so a beautiful view can be unobstructed. This causes two design concerns: The beam must be built in such a way that it can support the weight of the rafters and purlins without sagging. The larger concern is this: The wind loading of the entire pergola must be divided by the number of columns. Fewer columns means more stress on each column. We solve this wide span problem by placing two columns close together on either end of the span.
Especially large spans and commercial projects call for our massive 4" x 12" fiberglass beams. We use them in sets of two, so the resulting beam is tremendous. These are also crowned and a single beam can receive over 1000 pounds of load and still have a gentle upward crown! We often use them on projects just for the visual effect, so please be sure to ask us about our large beams. They are not an option on the web site pricing tool yet.
Height is also a structural concern because each column has mechanical advantage like a lever. When you apply ten pounds of force to the side of the top, you exert eight times that amount of force to the bottom, assuming that the column is eight feet tall. If the column is ten feet tall, then the stress at the bottom is ten times greater then the initial ten pounds. Our typical offerings are designed to endure high winds, but large residential pergolas and commercial jobs may require engineering. These are things which get discussed.
Our easy shade system work very well with our fiberglass pergolas. We have a entire page of information about the Easy Shade system which you can link to here. The information on this page is specific to combining an Easy Shade system with a Baldwin Fiberglass Pergola.
The Easy Shade has a main, central beam which wants to be centered and run perpendicular to the rafters. When you order a pergola with a shade system, we create three of your rafters with lumber inside which allows one to attach the mono beam securely.
The fabric is hung from cross-bars which roll back and forth within the centered mono beam. We restrict each end of the cross bar from being blown upward with shade rails. These shade rails attach to the inner face of the main beams. If your pergola is attached to your house, then the inner shade rail is attached to the bottoms of the rafters. By lowering the outermost shade rail, we can get rainwater to flow away from the house.
Determine where you want the center of your columns. Measure distance in width and depth. Determine how much overhang you would like on each side. Overhang is measured from the center of the post to the tip of the rafter or purlin. Our standard overhand is 24" inches. Rafter length is your depth from center of column to center of column plus your front and rear overhangs. Purlin length is your width from center of column to center of column plus your left and right overhangs. Consider height and sight lines. Remember, short pergolas give more shade under the pergola. Consider the time of day you will use your pergola and the angle of the sun at that time. We'll be better able to assist you if you take a few photos and send them to us.
We have an online pergola pricing tool you can use to configure your pergola. When you are using the pricing tool, you will need to select your options such as: The cut on the ends of the beams and rafters, column size and type, color, fabric color.
The pergola pricing tool will give you a price for the pergola, your electrical options, drapery and even a trucking quote. It's easy to modify your pergola until it is exactly what you desire. You can feel comfortable using this no dicker, always accurate pricing tool. We do reserve the right to adjust prices due to lumber costs without notice.
If the pergola you desire cannot be built using our system, please enter the pergola as closely as possible then describe what you would like done differently in the notes section. You can also call our sales team during business hours at 800 344-5103x1 and they will do all of this for you.
When you are pleased with your pergola and are ready to talk to one of our designers, click the "Submit information" button. Your data gets sent to us.
We review your pergola choices and call you to answer any questions you might have. We suggest making changes that would either make your pergola more useful or more beautiful, but we also look for ways to reduce the lead time and your cost.
Along the way you can request an elevation drawing of the front, back, or either side so you can see what pergola will look like. Based on this visual, you may request changes. We adjust your file and explain the change in price. We also create another visual for your approval. We do require a 50% deposit before working plans are created. When you get your plans, you confirm every detail and we begin production.
During production you may get a call or email from the production team asking about your ceiling fan height or what color light switches you want. When the pergola kit is complete, we require final payment before shipping. If you are within 300 miles, we offer you our in-house, white glove delivery service.
If you are more than 300 miles from our factory, we use Yellow Freight as our over the road trucking company. In case of a freight company delivery, you will be responsible for physically removing the pergola or pavilion from the truck. Unless you have a forklift, this requires entering the truck, unpacking the structure and physically unloading it from the truck, member by member. You are also required to remove all the pallets and packaging from the truck. A freight forwarding service could be hired to preform this service for you, but that expense is typically $700 or more.
Baldwin Pergolas are designed to be very easy to put together, but there are still difficult aspects such as using a level to determine the lengths of the posts, cutting the posts to length, drilling the concrete and anchoring the mounting brackets. If this sounds like more then you want to do, we may be able to suggest experienced pergola installers in your area.
Use the following chart as a guideline to learn what a Baldwin fiberglass pergola might cost. More precise pricing can be found by designing your pergola using our custom pergola pricing tool. See Pricing link below.
|Overall size
|Column centers
|Base price
|Shade system
|Site plan
|12 x 12'
|8 x 8'
|12 x 14'
|8 x 10'
|12 x 16'
|8 x 12'
|12 x 18'
|8 x 14'
|12 x 20'
|8 x 16'
|14 x 14'
|10 x 10'
|14 x 16'
|10 x 12'
|14 x 18'
|10 x 14'
|14 x 20'
|10 x 16'
|14 x 24'
|10 x 20'
|16 x 16'
|12 x 12'
|16 x 18'
|12 x 14'
|16 x 20'
|12 x 16'
|16 x 24'
|12 x 20'
|16 x 28'
|12 x 24'
|18 x 18'
|14 x 14'
|18 x 20'
|14 x 16'
|18 x 24'
|14 x 20'
|18 x 28'
|14 x 24'
|18 x 32'
|14 x 28'
|20 x 20'
|16 x 16'
|20 x 24'
|16 x 20'
|20 x 28'
|16 x 24'
|20 x 32'
|16 x 28'
|20 x 36'
|16 x 32'
* Note: These pergolas include 10" inch diameter round columns. All other columns are 12" round.
Charlotte Lamberto
Max, Thought you'd like to see the finished product. We are extremely pleased with our new pergola, and enjoy it almost every evening. Thank you, and have yourself a great rest of the summer!
Pat D'Auria
We have gotten lots of compliments for our pergola and we love it.
Pete and Susan Lang
Sorry it has taken so long to get these pictures to you (a few years to be truthful). We love our pergola and also the furniture. It really does make the space like a room outside. Your product is fabulous. It was easy to assemble and it makes a profound difference in the space. it was a joy working with you and Cheri. We both hope you continued success in your endeavors.
Michael & Maria D'Ambrose
The pergola has truly transformed our backyard into an outdoor paradise! We enjoy the hot tub every night. The privacy wall and beautiful drapery makes our pergola a wonderful enclosed outdoor room.
Steve Flint
I set this up by myself in two days (using sawhorses to brace the uprights) and although I'm reasonably handy, I'm no carpenter! All in all it was an excellent experience and my hat's off to you for being able to construct and ship such a good kit. Even considering the shipping costs, there is no way we could have purchased lumber and paid people to construct something like this for the same money. We're considering doing another identical unit in the opposite corner of our courtyard. Well done. And good luck in this economy!
Michael Divitto
Nothing but rave reviews on the pergola. You really out did yourself.
Joe Holland
The Pergola is GREAT! What a difference it makes to the house ... inside and out. The height (for this sized Pergola) seems like it is matched up perfectly. The effect is a room outside the house. Let's see how many 'Wow's' we get Friday night. You should have left some of your business cards. My daughter (Sarah) loved the butterfly joint!
Mara Cruz
We love it! Your assistance and patience during our installation was greatly appreciated.
Dennis Hosler, Hosler's Homescapes
Your pergola went together with ease. We were impressed with the precision and craftsmenship of each piece of the pergola. There was minimal work to align the pieces into there proper position. I wanted to also put a plug in for an opportunity to be an installer of baldwin pergolas and other structures if you needed a crew to install in my location (PA). Thanks again!
Jeff Veasman
Thank you my friend, we just got done with the big pergola, it took longer to run the wires than it did to put the pergola together. It is freakin sweet Max, oh and by the way Deana Martin, Dean's daughter lives next door we did a three story add on for them but she said it looks spectacular. Thanks again Max, I'll be sending some pics.


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LEON — Central Decatur escaped with a 73-68 win in a wild, back-and-forth contest here on Dec. 3 against Clarke in a game that saw nine lead changes.
But, even in the loss, a star emerged for Clarke.
Senior Colin Morris went off for 41 points on 16-of-33 shooting from the floor to ignite the Indians after Clarke fell behind 20-10 early.
Morris stepped up and hit big shot after big shot to bring the Indians back into the game.
"I knew Colin would step up," Clarke head coach James Larson said. "If you would have seen all the effort and hard work he put in over the summer, you'd know what to expect this year. I wasn't surprised.
"Colin really put it on his shoulders this year to take over the team, because with the loss of (Dylan) Diveney, we needed that leader to step up," Larson said. "He's doing it vocally and on the floor. He did a lot of attacking. He's a tough guy to guard. He's quick, he's strong. He can take it to the hoop, but he can shoot it, too."
Central Decatur head coach Zach Clark said before the game he was worried about Morris hitting shots. Clark's fear was realized, but his team hit enough clutch shots down the stretch to hold on for the win.
"For us to escape with a guy getting 41 is lucky," he said. "He was a good player last year — now he's a great player. He made every big shot for them, and we were able to just make a couple more shots at the end. A performance like that, 41 is the most that's ever been scored against me in 11 years of coaching. You can only say great things about that kid. He's a competitor and he's a great sport. I hope he has a great season."
Many of the starters in the game found themselves in foul trouble, which tested the depth of each team's bench.
Both teams received solid contributions from the bench.
Larson said he was particularly proud of 6-6 freshman Grant Wishon's play off the bench. Wishon finished with just two rebounds, but made his presence known on defense by altering shots. He recorded two blocked shots.
"He stepped up big," Larson said. "He gave us some big minutes, because I knew our post players were going to foul out. He stepped up, did his job. He didn't score any points, but he was a presence down low. That was nice to have."
After slow starts to the game, Clark saw two of his starters get into a rhythm in the second half, helping the Cardinals pull out the victory.
Dalton Rhum finished with a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds, making two big baskets down the final stretch. Noah Simon also provided a spark in the second half, scoring 16 points for the game with seven boards. Peyton Pedersen netted 16 points for the Cardinals.
Jared Jamison added 11 points for Clarke, and also dished out six assists. Carlos Tamayo and freshman Troy Morgan each scored seven points for the Indians.
Clarke fell to 0-2 for the season and 0-1 in the South Central Conference with an 83-69 home loss to Chariton on Monday.
Morris once again led the Indians, this time scoring 32 points on 12-of-28 shooting to go with seven rebounds. Jamison added 11 points, while Matt Blanchard scored nine points with four rebounds. Brin Evins grabbed eight rebounds.
Tamayo scored nine points with four assists, while Morgan pitched in six points.
Clarke hosts Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on Friday.


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New York City- Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement today in response to the proposed 20-foot buffer zone around the Presidential Women's Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The abortion providers have complained that the pro-life demonstrators make so much noise that it can be heard inside the clinic, causing additional distress to women in the midst of an abortion.
"There wouldn't be as much reason for the noise outside the clinic if those inside were straightforward with women about what an abortion is and what it does," said Fr. Pavone. "I challenge those who administer this abortion facility to describe the procedure clearly to the public, including the fact that the baby's heart is beating when the abortion is performed, and that abortion procedures tear off the arms and legs of these babies."
Fr. Pavone also encouraged the pro-life demonstrators to continue their efforts. "As long as this clinic continues slaughtering babies, I urge pro-life people to increase the intensity of their protest and the volume of their voices, so that these women can hear the truth before making the biggest mistake of their lives."
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.


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Billy JohnsonFree Agent
Assistant Coach
Ht: | Wt:
News | Stats | Stat vs. Team | Targets | Injury | Depth Chart | Roster
|Falcons | Team retains B. Johnson
Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:12:39 -0800
AtlantaFalcons.com reports the Atlanta Falcons retained Billy Johnson as the team's assistant strength and conditioning coach Wednesday, Feb. 13. Johnson is entering his third year as the Falcons assistant strength and conditioning coach.
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|Falcons | "White Shoes" Johnson retained on staff
Mon, 22 Jan 2007 08:44:08 -0800
AtlantaFalcons.com reports the Atlanta Falcons have retained Billy Johnson as their assistant strength and conditioning coach. Johnson, who is known by the nickname "White Shoes", has sent the previous 12 years with the club as a member of the player development program.
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Top-ranked for quality and safety
UC Davis Medical Center named 2010 Leapfrog Top Hospital
Posted Dec. 15, 2010
UC Davis Medical Center ranks among The Leapfrog Group's top hospitals for 2010, a distinction that recognizes hospital performance in crucial areas of patient safety and quality, including mortality rates for certain common procedures, infection rates, safety practices and measures of efficiency.
UC Davis is one of 65 top hospitals and one of 53 urban hospitals, recognized at the Leapfrog Group's annual meeting in Washington, D. C., on Nov. 30.
The selection — based on the Leapfrog's national survey of 1,200 hospitals that volunteer to publicly report their performance — includes university and other teaching hospitals, children's hospitals and community hospitals in rural, suburban and urban settings.
The results, publicly posted online in early December, offer patients, families, employers and other purchasers of health care the most complete picture available of a hospital's quality and safety.
"Earning the top hospital designation for a second year is a testament to the commitment our faculty and staff have to delivering the highest quality and safest care for our patients," said Ann Madden Rice, chief executive officer of UC Davis Medical Center.
— Ann Madden Rice
"Through our participation with the Leapfrog Group, the UC Center for Health Quality and Innovation, and other quality and safety initiatives, we are leading the way in developing evidence-based practices that improve patient care."
The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit coalition of some of the nation's largest employers and health-care purchasers — such as Intel, FedEx and Boeing — who are working for improvements in health-care safety, quality and affordability for their employees and dependents.
Initially organized by the Business Roundtable, it is now an independent advocacy group working with a broad range of partners, including hospitals and insurers. Efforts are under way to include consumer advocacy groups.
To receive the designation as a Top Hospital, UC Davis met the following performance measures:
- using computer physician order entry systems to prevent medication errors
- complying with standards for complex, high-risk procedures such as heart surgery
- following protocols and policies to reduce medical errors and other safe practices recommended by the National Quality Forum
- maintaining adequate nurse and physician staffing
In addition, hospitals were measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions, and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors, among other things.
More about qualityTo read more about UC Davis Health System's commitment to quality and safety, click here.
UC Davis Medical Center is a comprehensive academic medical center where clinical practice, teaching and research converge to advance human health. Centers of excellence include the National Cancer Institute-designated UC Davis Cancer Center; the region's only level 1 pediatric and adult trauma centers; the UC Davis MIND Institute, devoted to finding treatments and cures for neurodevelopmental disorders; and the UC Davis Children's Hospital.
The medical center serves a 33-county, 65,000-square-mile area that stretches north to the Oregon border and east to Nevada. It further extends its reach through the award-winning telemedicine program, which gives remote, medically underserved communities throughout California unprecedented access to specialty and subspecialty care.


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These are my Vermont Cranberry bush beans, a new variety for me. The flat pods have pink streaks and can be picked when tender and steamed fresh. I let these dry on the vine to use as soup beans. The first ones I picked were so pretty that I planted a couple more rows late in the season. They'll make a nice Fall treat.
I'm sure Melissa at Gluten Free for Good can tell you all about the nutritional value of beans. I'll settle for knowing they're good for me because I love eating fresh beans every day!
No post would be complete without a photo of my girls. These Buff Orpingtons decided to test drive their new roost, made from a branch from the honey locust tree. Seems to work just fine. My little chicks are getting so big! I expect the new flock of 24 to start laying any day now.
Construction is underway on 2 new chicken coops and runs. That's why I've been away from my blog for so long. I've been gathering materials, digging out stumps and clearing brush. Today I dug my first five (okay, 4 and a half) post holes. When it got too dark to work, I could barely lift a New Grist beer to my lips. I struggled through a whole one, though. Hope I can raise my arms tomorrow. Ten more post holes to dig.


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UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council is condemning North Korea's successful rocket launch.
The U.N.'s most powerful body said today in a brief statement after closed consultations that the launch violated a 2009 Security Council resolution banning "any launch using ballistic missile technology."
The council said that after the North's failed launch in April it demanded that Pyongyang halt all launches.
The council said it will consider "an appropriate response."


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The legend of the gnome creature has many versions. Some say that gnomes were originally made of ice, others sheaves of wheat while still others claim that gnomes were made from all of the earth's elements. Gnomes are just another word for elf, imp, goblin, wizard, leprechaun or house brownie. The seven dwarves were gnomes. Rumpelstilkskin was a gnome. Santa himself is a kind of gnome. Below is a very evil version of Santa so don't let the youngsters see this.
Gnomes have magical powers, but they are also capable of being tricky and mean. In the Brothers Grimm story of The Cobbler and the Elves, little naked men with long beards enter the impoverished cobbler's shop in the middle of the night and skillfully finish one pair of unfinished shoes. The shoes "had small and even stitches, formed so perfectly that the cobbler knew he couldn't have produced a better pair himself".
After many years of making the cobbler a wealthy man, the elves decide to take off and never return after the cobbler's wife makes them a set of clothes. The reason they don't return is they think they look too awesome in their new outfits to be working for free for a lousy cobbler. I can't say that I disagree with them. They do look quite dapper.
The history of the garden gnome is taken from the folktales of Eastern and Western Europe. The claim to the title of manufacturer of the first garden gnome is hotly contested, but it's possible that Baehr and Maresch, a Dresden ceramic and pewter beer stein company, produced the first ceramic gnomes, having them in their stock as early as 1841.
Below are images of Garden Gnomes that I found to be classic examples of the gnome "gnomenclature". (sorry for that). Others are send ups of the classics that I think you'll enjoy.
The Baddy is part of a new generation of Garden Gnomes and comes in many different colors.
Since I have no restraint, I'd like to add that I was looking for a Gnome Chompsky gnome, but all I found was a Noam Chomsky 70s rock van seen here. Really, this was enough. I'm good.
Why, I mean, where can you buy a garden gnome? You cannot swing a dead cat on the internet without hitting a gnome product. There is even a garden gnome club at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, which I find hard to believe, but it is true. Home Depot sells a handsome garden gnome for $40. In fact, there is nothing stopping you from filling your entire lawn with garden gnomes.
Please humor me by watching the garden gnome sequence from one of my favorite movies, Amelie. In the movie, Amelie asks her stewardess friend to take pictures of her father's garden gnome while traveling from place to place around the world. Meanwhile, her father, who doesn't know that the gnome has been taken, receives postcards featuring his gnome at the Parthenon, the Great Pyramids, the River Nile and numerous other tourist destinations.The father thinks he has gone completely mad. It's pretty amusing.
…one hour later.
Hey, I did find a Gnome Chomsky gnome. I knew there had to be one. Ta da!


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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Western-allied Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council said Thursday the bloc has agreed on the mechanisms to implement a security pact, marking a possible first step toward bridging deep rifts among its six energy-rich states.
Qatar's official news agency confirmed that Doha's Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah took part in the GCC Foreign Ministers meeting held in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh. The GCC statement was released just before midnight after the meeting concluded.
It marked the foreign minister's first visit to Saudi Arabia since the kingdom, along with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar in an unprecedented public protest largely believed to be spurred by Doha's support for the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group in the region.
Thursday's statement said the GCC agreed on a "collective framework" in which the policies of the bloc's member states "would not affect the interests, security and stability of its members and would not tamper with the sovereignty of any of its members." However, the statement did not say whether ambassadors would be reinstated.
The ambassadors were officially withdrawn early March after the three Gulf nations said Qatar failed to uphold its end of a security agreement to stop interfering in other nations' politics and supporting organizations that threaten the Gulf's stability. They said the move was made to protect their security.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have little tolerance for Brotherhood-linked activity and perceive the Islamist group as a threat to their political systems.
Kuwait, which has Islamists in parliament, and Oman were the only countries in the council not to join in the diplomatic protest. Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi was quoted just before Thursday's announcement in the pan-Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat declaring that the crisis "between brothers" had ended and was "a thing of the past."
The GCC statement did not offer any details about what the countries agreed on. Analysts do not expect Qatar's policies will dramatically swing closer to those of Saudi Arabia, which recently declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization not long after Cairo's government did the same.
Qatar gave billions of dollars in aid to the Brotherhood-backed government of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi before he was ousted by the army last year. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait trumped that support with billions of dollars to Egypt's new military-backed government as it cracked down on the Brotherhood and its supporters.
Additionally, the Qatar-based and funded Al Jazeera Arabic news channel has come under attack in Egypt, and is not believed to be viewed favorably by Saudi Arabia and the UAE's leaders.
Simon Henderson, director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at The Washington Institute, said in an analysis that "Qatar is likely unwilling to eat humble pie."
"Unlike (Saudi) King Abdullah and certain other Gulf leaders, Doha seems to view its own quasi-monarchal political system as above any potential Brotherhood threats," he wrote, adding that Qatar has also been in competition with Saudi Arabia for influence among Syria's opposition seeking to oust President Bashar Assad, "though it may be easing up on that posture."
A sticking point for the UAE's relationship with Qatar had been Egyptian-born cleric Youssef al-Qaradawi's fiery sermons in Doha, in which he criticized Gulf countries for their support of Egypt's interim government. The cleric has close ties with the Brotherhood and his sermons were carried live on Qatar state television. He has not appeared on the pulpit since ambassadors were withdrawn.
Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Abdulla Ribhy contributed from Doha, Qatar.


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June 28, 2016
Erika Rocha was 35 years old and one day away from her Youth Parole Hearing on April 15, 2016, when she committed suicide at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Corona. Since her death, the suicide crisis at CIW has only worsened. On June 1, yet another young woman of color died at CIW. Her name is Shaylene Graves and she was 27 years old and six weeks away from returning home to her loving son, family and friends.


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Have you heard the branding "Microsoft Business Intelligence" a lot more recently? I have. It used to be something like "SQL Server Business Intelligence," but times are changing and Microsoft is slowly cooking the frog--moving our mindsets to understand that SQL Server is only one part of BI. Instead, we need to think about Microsoft's holistic BI platform.
Okay, I know you're asking, "What else is there?" We've always had Microsoft Office, and the good news is that Microsoft will release the 2007 Office System, including Excel client and server features for BI, this year; look for a commentary about the 2007 Office System in an upcoming UPDATE Special Edition. And you might recall that I introduced Microsoft Office Business Scorecard Manager (BSM) in my August 2005 UPDATE Special Edition commentary (http://www.sqlmag.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=47487&). BSM will be only one of many BI applications that Microsoft will release this year and in the future.
Some of you already know Bill Baker as Microsoft's general manager for BI, and perhaps you've caught one of his many keynote presentations.
During the SQL Server 2005 development cycle, Baker owned development for all the BI components; when the 2005 release shipped, Microsoft told Bill he'd done a great job, but it was time to broaden his scope and turn his attention to BI applications. The development group that built BSM, dubbed Office Business Applications (OBA), had already warmed a seat for him. I think Baker's involvement in the OBA team is good news all around. Microsoft's development investments and adjustments of key leadership positions are solid proof that it intends to have a holistic BI platform.
Though it's too early to unveil specifics, the next project for the OBA team will take Microsoft into the forecasting, consolidation, and financial analysis arena. OBA is developing a solution based on an Excel-heavy client toolset coupled with a dynamic application server solution; for lack of branding and specific official announcements, let's just call it "financial planning" for now. Long-standing competitors own the financial-analysis arena, so entering this market space is an interesting move for Microsoft because it often places business focuses before technology focuses. But lest there be any doubts about Microsoft's strategy, customers' overwhelming interest in the new financial-planning application has forced Microsoft to be selective in its choice of its "financial planning" beta clients, just as it did in it beta cycles for BSM.
Be sure to keep an eye on Microsoft's BI site (http://www.microsoft.com/bi). The site still focuses on SQL Server, but you'll witness a steady evolution as Microsoft adds new BI applications to its BI platform. And if a financial-planning project is on your horizon, soon Microsoft will have a new option for you.


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February 13. 2014 9:52PM
Pinkerton students make gains in reading, writing test scores
By HUNTER McGEE
Union Leader Correspondent
— Pinkerton Academy's NECAP scores showed increases in the latest round of testing in reading and writing, while staying level in math.
The scores rose sharply in writing, going up 15 percent, and increased by 3 percent in reading, according to administrators.
The NECAP tests were developed by the New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont departments of education. The test of reading, writing and math is administered in October to juniors throughout the state and the science portion is administered in May.
A few factors likely played a role in this year's spike in writing, said Chris Harper, dean of academic affairs. Since reading and writing are closely linked, the high school has placed its focused on helping students who struggle with reading. Some students arrive at Pinkerton reading at one to three years below grade level, he said.
In the program, teachers who are reading specialists work directly in the classroom with the students, Harper said. By the time students reach their junior year, many are reading at grade level.
It isn't easy, but all of the hard work in the classroom is resulting in improved reading scores, Harper said.
"Getting students who are one to three years below their grade level up to proficiency is an awesome task," Harper said.
As for math, Pinkerton students scored at approximately the same level as the rest of the state, Harper said.
"We are not where we would like to be," Harper said.
To help students who may be struggling with math, the school has hired a specialist to work as a math coach. Math isn't an easy subject for many of students, not just at Pinkerton, but at high schools across the state, Harper said.
Students sometimes have a difficult time seeing math problems in real world terms, Harper said.
"It's not just taking a quadratic equation and factoring it, it's an involved scenario," Harper said.
As a real world example, he said, he recently ordered three cords of wood. When he checked the delivery, it seemed a little light, and he wasn't sure if he had received three full cords. But after performing some calculations, he realized the order was correct.


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Whether or not you watch "The Voice," you've probably seen recent commercials for NBC's show and wondered about that incredibly catchy song playing in the background.
It's "Put the Gun Down," one of many irresistible tracks from ZZ Ward's debut full-length "Til the Casket Drops," out Oct. 16. The record blends blues and hip-hop to incredibly effective ends and features guest turns from Freddie Gibbs, Kendrick Lamar and Chicago soul rockers The O'My's.
Here are 10 things we learned about the 24-year-old singer (who lives in L.A. but grew up in Pennsylvania and Oregon) when she sat down with us before her show at Schubas.
In light of her song "Move Like You Stole It," the worst thing she ever stole was … "I guess when I was little--we were in a candy store recently and I was like, "I remember when I was little I used to literally walk around and think that you could just eat the candy. Like, 'Why can't you just eat the candy?' And then I got in trouble and I was like, "Wow, not supposed to do that." [Laughs]
At the age of 13 or 14, she performed blues sets with her dad at bars for up to four hours. "I'm happy that I have those experiences because sometimes things go wrong in a show and it doesn't always go as planned … a lot of times they would just draw X's on my hand [because I was underage]. So then I couldn't drink, but I'd go sing in blues bars."
Why wasn't she supposed to listen to her brother's albums when she was younger, which sparked her hip-hop influences? "Probably because of curse words. That's the number one reason I'm' sure. My parents, and even my brothers were like, 'She can't listen to that, she can't hear that.' That made me want to listen to it even more."
What she learned from opening for rap artists such as Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: "Probably to work the crowd. I think that with blues it's all about the sincerity and it's all about feeling the song connecting with what you're singing with, but I think the hip-hop shows taught me to work the crowd."
Why is her current tour called the "Down and Dirty Shine" tour? "Dirty shine is something I started saying because this is my first record and a lot of people are hearing that it's different, the style, it's hip hop and blues and it's not something that people have heard before. I didn't really think about that when I was making it, I just thought it's me. So I'm just going to do it… so dirty shine is just like shining dirty. It's just being who you are."
Her album focuses on the ups and downs of relationships. How do you know when something is worth fighting for and when it's time to throw in the towel? "That's a great question. I don't think I wouldn't be the one to say that I know, but I think when I was making this record I was trying to figure it out. [Laughs] So at the end of all of it I think I got my answer … I think that every writer can connect with different things. For me, I don't know, when I feel a certain way about a relationship that I'm in, whether I'm super excited about it or really really pissed off at someone, that's the time where I go write."
She's described herself as "back porch blues meets hip-hop." Is there a difference between back porch and front porch blues? "[Laughs] No, I just think that when I was making my record, I put a lot of acoustic guitar on my record because I just wanted to keep that feel of that really rootsy blues feeling. I listened to a lot of Allen Lomax recordings before I made this recording, so that really inspired me."
Which judge on "The Voice" she'd want as a team captain: "Probably Cee-Lo Green. I think he's very cool and interesting. It would be fun to work with him. [Laughs] … I've seen the cats that he has. Have you seen he has these cats that he has with him? …I don't watch the show that much, but I've seen him in pictures where he has these cats with him, so I respect that a lot. It's different."
She owns 40 or 50 hats: "I love having an option with the hats. But it's hard to travel with hats. So when I go on tour I'm still trying to figure out how to like … I need a giant hat box."
Her guilty pleasures: "Forrest Gump," John Mayer's "Continuum"
@mattpais, email@example.com
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The Royals are 18th in the table and are yet to register a victory since their return to the top flight, despite taking the lead in five of their nine league outings so far.
"This is the Barclays Premier League, you don't expect to go 1-0 up and everybody to go 'oh ok the game's over' it isn't like that," McDermott said ahead of Saturday's home game against Norwich. "It isn't necessarily concentration (that is the problem), I've been through situations; when I first took the job we were drawing an awful lot of games and couldn't win."
He added: "I've been through situations where we couldn't score a goal in the first-half, 18 games I think last season where we couldn't score in the first half. I've been in situations where we have conceded late goals and we have always addressed it.
"We have always tried to address things and it is the same now, once we get in front we want to address that situation - once we get in front we want to keep a clean sheet and win the game and that is another challenge."
Clean sheets have also proved elusive this season with the Berkshire club not managing to keep their opponents at bay in any competition to date and McDermott is keen to improve on that statistic.
He said: "Well we would definitely like to keep clean sheets, obviously every team would like to keep clean sheets and we are no different.
"Last year we kept a load of clean sheets so that is something we really need to be working on - we went in front again the other day against QPR and unfortunately they got a 60-odd minute goal and that is something we need to do, we need to keep clean sheets and we have worked on that and will be working on that."
Despite not seeing his side pick up three points from a Premier League game, including letting a 1-0 lead slip away at fellow strugglers QPR last weekend to draw, McDermott has been pleased with the attitude of his charges.
"Every performance has given me heart, bar Spurs (a 3-1 defeat)," he said. "If you look at what has actually happened in the nine games in this league we have drawn five games and lost four. By definition if you have drawn five you could have won them, I definitely think of those five, three of them we should have won."
Source: PA
Source: PA