Friedman: Rangers A Mainstay Near The Top, Islanders To Make A Power Move September 24, 2014 1:21 PM

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By Daniel FriedmanMore Columns

With the start of the NHL regular season just a few weeks away, the Rangers, Islanders and Devils are gearing up for what should be a tight battle within the Metropolitan Division. Heres how I think itll all play out:

Theyve always been a good regular season team; theplayoffs is where theyve struggled. Gone are Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik and James Neal, as well as coach Dan Bylsma and general managerRay Shero. With the new management and coaching staff in place, the Penguins are hoping they can turn things around. Itll be interesting to see how additions Patric Hornqvist and Christian Ehrhoff fit in, but Pittsburgh is still very deep down the middle and has more forward depth than theyve had in a couple of years. Theyre not a lock to finish atop the division, but they are certainly equipped to do so.

A Stanley Cup Final appearance was a surprising development, but it definitely raises the bar for this season. The Rangers will be expected to compete for the division title and be a dominant force. Whether or not theyre capable of meeting those raised expectations is a bit of a different story, but they do have pieces to work with. J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider will need to be productive, or the Blueshirts could be in trouble, especially now that they wont have Derek Stepan for part of the season due to a broken leg. They need the secondary scoring. As for the top line, goaltending and defense, you basically know what you have, and its pretty darn solid.

Chris Kreider (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

While Pittsburgh and the Rangers are the favorites to finish firstand secondin the Metro (not necessarily in that order), the battle for the remaining spots is where things will get interesting. There are very few unrealistic scenarios here; its essentially a free-for-all. Im going with the Islanders to place third, however, and Im doing that for a bunch of reasons. First, their goaltending situation has vastly improved. Second, theyre deeper down the middle than everyone in the division except Pittsburgh. Third, theyve got something to prove that their playoff appearance two years ago wasnt a fluke and that theyre the real deal. If youre looking for a good sleeper pick, the Isles are it.

The Islanders Josh Bailey, left, celebrates his shorthanded goal against the Devils with Kyle Okposo at the Prudential Center on Sept. 19, 2013 in Newark. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Assuming that young star Ryan Johansen is under contract (which should be the case, despite the current situation), the Jackets are going to push for a playoff spot again. I love the addition of Scott Hartnell, and the young nucleus of Johansen, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray will only get better. Of course, having Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes is also helpful. This team has surprised a lot of people lately and I think theyll continue to improve.

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Ranking The 8 Teams In The NHLs Metropolitan Division

One of the European Challenge Tours goals has always been to spread the golfing gospel to new territories around the globe, and there are few finer examples of this than at the Kazakhstan Open, where 150 volunteers have been helping out and learning about the game over the past week.

This impressive number is made up almost exclusively of locals from Almaty, but there are four in particular that have gone above and beyond this week, having travelled far and wide to do their bit in 2014.

An Englishwoman, a couple from Wales and an American we promise this is not the start to a bad joke have travelled to Kazakhstan to bring their experience of the game to those others volunteering, some of which might perhaps be a little less knowledgeable than themselves.

Paul Naysmith, a retired banker from Wales, is one of those, having come to the Central Asian country with his wife to visit their daughter who works at a school in the host city, and the pair were excited to see their first action from the second tier, having experienced the recent Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex as members of Royal Porthcawl.

We have come over from Wales as my daughter works here in Almaty, said the Treasurer of the Glamorgan County Golf Union. This week was an opportunity to spend two weeks here with her, but also to fit in the golf, as Ive always wanted to see the Challenge Tour. Ive never been to Almaty or Kazakhstan before either, and I think it is fascinating.

Golf is expanding here as this is the tenth year of the tournament and I think it is good for the game of golf to expand worldwide. In the UK we are seeing a decline in golf club memberships and there is a need for more people to play golf across the world, otherwise it will become the preserve of the elderly and the wealthy, certainly in our country. Youngsters are not taking the game up like they should, hence the need to expand into new territories.

After a decade of action in Kazakhstan it seems an apt time to look back on what the tournament has achieved in this embryonic golfing nation, with the volunteer programme that has been built at both host venues Nurtau Golf Club and Zhailjau Golf Resort truly one of the events real success stories.

Camila Davies has spent five years volunteering at the event, some of which were spent as the Chief Marshall, but has since passed on the reins to Natalya Shin, who has continued the fine work being done on behalf of the Kazakhstan Open something which her predecessor was quick to point out.

Natalya took over as Chief Marshall from me and since then they have not really needed me anymore as she is just so good at it said Davies, 49, who lived in Kazakhstan for five years. It is so much fun watching the golfers, and what I love about it is the students and young people from Almaty, who have never been on a golf course, they come out and love it. Theyll stay out in all weather, and they cant believe how peaceful and quiet it is.

A girl one year dreamed the previous night that shed be in a buggy, then the next day I picked her up in one and she said her dreams had come true. She also said afterwards that she learned so much about respect and politeness and has since taken that on board herself.

Link:
Volunteers a Kazakhstan success story

MADRID Spanish telecom giantTelefonica on Thursday posted a profit of $2.5 billion (1.9 billion euros) for the first half of 2014, down 7.5 percent from the same period in 2013, even as it grew pay TV susbcribers in key markets.

Telefonica blamed the profit drop largely on fluctuations in the currency exchange rate, especially the depreciation of the Brazilian real and the Argentine peso.

Pay-TV access growth accelerated 32 percent year-on-year in organic terms to 4.2 million at the end of June, with 610,000 net additions in April-June posting positive net additions for five consecutive quarters, the group said.

Growth was primarily driven by the company's home market following the launch of Movistar Fusion TV in April, which accounted for a quarter of new additions of 464,000 and to nearly double the access base compared to 2013.

Movistar Fusion TV isTelefonica's newpay-TV service available on smartphones, tablets, PCs and TVs. The service comes bundled with fixed line phone service, mobile telephony and high-speed Internet.

STORYPenelope Cruz, Javier Bardem Denounce Israeli 'Genocide' in Open Letter

The 32 percent increase boosted Telefonicas revenue from the video business by more than 15 percent in organic terms with significant progress in Spain and Brazil, the group said.

Telefonica also boasted of its recent exclusive rights acquisitions in Spain to major upcoming international sporting events such as the qualifying matches for the 2016UEFA European Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

First-half results started to reflect the benefits from the investments in network modernization carried out in recent quarters, which are enabling us to further differentiate our offering in key markets, CEO Cesar Alierta said.

This increased differentiation resulted in an acceleration of commercial activity in the second quarter, with net additions of 2 million mobile contracts, 5 million smartphones and over six hundred thousand pay-TV customers, Aliertaadded.

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Telefonica First-Half Profit Drops, Pay TV Subs Grow in Key Markets

MADRID Spanish telecom giantTelefonica on Thursday posted a profit of $2.5 billion (1.9 billion euros) for the first half of 2014, down 7.5 percent from the same period in 2013, even as it grew pay TV susbcribers in key markets.

Telefonica blamed the profit drop largely on fluctuations in the currency exchange rate, especially the depreciation of the Brazilian real and the Argentine peso.

Pay-TV access growth accelerated 32 percent year-on-year in organic terms to 4.2 million at the end of June, with 610,000 net additions in April-June posting positive net additions for five consecutive quarters, the group said.

Growth was primarily driven by the company's home market following the launch of Movistar Fusion TV in April, which accounted for a quarter of new additions of 464,000 and to nearly double the access base compared to 2013.

Movistar Fusion TV isTelefonica's newpay-TV service available on smartphones, tablets, PCs and TVs. The service comes bundled with fixed line phone service, mobile telephony and high-speed Internet.

STORYPenelope Cruz, Javier Bardem Denounce Israeli 'Genocide' in Open Letter

The 32 percent increase boosted Telefonicas revenue from the video business by more than 15 percent in organic terms with significant progress in Spain and Brazil, the group said.

Telefonica also boasted of its recent exclusive rights acquisitions in Spain to major upcoming international sporting events such as the qualifying matches for the 2016UEFA European Championships and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

First-half results started to reflect the benefits from the investments in network modernization carried out in recent quarters, which are enabling us to further differentiate our offering in key markets, CEO Cesar Alierta said.

This increased differentiation resulted in an acceleration of commercial activity in the second quarter, with net additions of 2 million mobile contracts, 5 million smartphones and over six hundred thousand pay-TV customers, Aliertaadded.

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Telefnicas Net Profits Down in First Half, Pay-TV Numbers up in Key Markets

(PRWEB) September 18, 2014

SimplyAdditions.com today announced the release of its latest money-saving how-to article, How to Update Your Bathroom without Breaking the Bank. Voitek Lex Klimczyk, the founder of SimplyAdditions.com and ProvenHelper.com, uses his personal experience as a professional contractor to create advice targeted toward homeowners.

In Klimczyks most recent article, he tackles the topic of how to renovate or refinish a bathroom. Bathroom renovations are one of the most costly home improvement projects. But with Klimczyks advice, homeowners dont have to break the bank.

As a former contractor and a homeowner myself, I know how daunting a bathroom renovation, or even a bathroom makeover can be, Klimczyk said. In fact, Im in the middle of my own renovations at home right now, so Im in the perfect position to help others in similar situations. When it comes to bathroom upgrades, its all about making smart decisions and deciding where to spend your money.

For instance, Klimczyk says that plumbing and electrical issues should always be resolved before focusing on aesthetics. If there are no major issues to work out, it can be easy to stack on track with a budget while updating a bathroom.

Some of SimplyAdditions top 5 tips for updating a bathroom on a budget include:

The full how-to article, How to Update Your Bathroom without Breaking the Bank is available online at SimplyAdditions.com.

To see videos of Klimcyzks home renovation projects, and for more helpful, money-saving tutorials, visit the ProvenHelper Channel on YouTube.

Klimczyk is available for press inquiries and can be reached at voitek (at) simplyadditions (dot) com.

About SimplyAdditions: SimplyAdditions.com was established in 2006 by Voitek Lex Klimczyk as a website dedicated to educating homeowners on home improvement projects and home additions. SimplyAdditions was the first website to provide free home addition plans, allowing homeowners to plan for and shop for room additions online. Over the years, SimplyAdditons has won countless awards, including the Excellence in Business Consumer Education Award from the Connecticut Better Business Bureau, Excellence in Website Marketing, Superior Service Award and the Excellent Business Reputation Award, all awarded by the Better Business Bureau. Now SimplyAdditions.com has become the go-to online destination for homeowners seeking advice and guidance regarding home-related topics. To learn more, please visit http://www.simplyadditions.com

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How to Update a Bathroom on a Budget: Expert Advice for Homeowners

Fredericksburg Shines will host its second annual Sustainability Home Tour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 10 locations around Fredericksburg.

The homes will feature some top construction methods and add-on projects such as solar panels and water reclamation, according to John Watson, executive director.

In this tour, well showcase clean energy, smart water solutions, zero waste applications and electric vehicles, Watson said. We hope that you are encouraged and inspired as you visit individual homes and homeowners and some of the installers.

Homes or features are:

408 N. Pecan Home of Michael Hurst is a 1920s home with additions and remodels. The Hurst home will feature a solar pool heater, rainwater collection system and electric car charging station.

206 W. Austin St. The Beall family will display their Tesla electric vehicle at the citys electric vehicle charging station, installed earlier this year just west of the Girl Scout building.

409 Cherry St. This home, made with straw-bale construction and recycled materials, is owned by Mary Palko and was built for approximately $95 per square foot (and lots of sweat equity). Straw-bale homes are energy efficient, resulting in low noise and lower utility bills. This was the first straw-bale construction in Gillespie County.

740 Royal Oaks Loop This home, owned by Carol and Ken Wichman, features a solar water heater and other green upgrades, which save money on energy bills. The water heaters cost of $5,000 was offset by a tax credit of 30 percent.

For more on this story, read this weeks print and online editions of the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post. If you are a print subscriber, your full online subscription is free. All you need to do is call 830-997-2155 to get a password. If you are not a subscriber, call 997-2155 or click on the Subscribe button on the left side of the home page and sign up today!

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Fredericksburg Shines sets Sustainability Home Tour

By Darren Bevan

Published: 4:35PM Thursday September 18, 2014

Rating:

Cast: Eva Green, Josh Brolin, Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Powers Boothe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Director: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller

The original Sin City, which bowed in 2005, was a blast, a graphic novel brought to life on the screen and drenched in pastiche and noir.

So, it's a surprise to see that a sequel's taken nearly 10 years to be made; in this latest, there's another raft of adaptations from Frank Miller's books and a few new sequences written especially for the film all interlaced into one piece.

The kernel of the movie centres around a flesh baring Eva Green as femme fatale Ava Lord who manipulates her former lover and world weary Dwight (Josh Brolin) to help her out; fashioned around this tale of sex, lies and betrayal is a story about Joseph Gordon Levitt's card shark Johnny out for revenge on Powers Boothe's corrupt senator and Jessica Alba's Nancy seeking to finish off what started years ago with "That Yellow Bastard".

Sin City: A Dame To Kill For continues the cinematic trend laid down by the first flick - through a sleazy world brought to life in all its monochrome glory, with splashes of colour - and even brings some welcome new additions in the form of Eva Green, who provides much needed life to this second outing which sags into tedium at times.

Green's perhaps one of the only reasons that the second works in places; her seductive energy fizzles the black and white world with colour and sparkles in among the moody stylings on the screen. Noir has thrived on the femme fatale trope, and Green certainly earns her place in the pantheon of the past. But she's one of only two well written women in the piece (along with Alba's troubled stripper Nancy) and the film feels bereft when it shifts its compromised morals to other targets and stories.

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Sin City: A Dame To Kill For: Movie Review

Wynn Resorts Ltd. ( WYNN ) has won the race for the lucrative $1.6 billion Boston-area casino license, according to media reports. The Las Vegas-based casino giant triumphed over rival Mohegan Sun, mainly on the strength of its economic development potential.

Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun had proposed a $1.1 billion casino at the Suffolk Downs horse racing track in Revere. The decision of The Massachusetts Gaming Commission came after Wynn made a number of significant additions to the plan, including re-designing its 27-story hotel tower and spend more toward plans to regulate traffic through Sullivan Square in Boston.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted in favor of Wynn Resorts' plan to turn a former chemical plant site on the Mystic River in Everett into a casino resort. However, a final round of voting will take place today, after Wynn agrees to certain regulatory terms and conditions.

Last week, the regulators reportedly released detailed reports indicating that Wynn Resorts has a stronger financial position to manage the casino while Mohegan Sun has a stronger overall design for its casino. Wynn then won the contest mainly due to its stronger development financing plan, a much larger construction investment, and a bigger projected workforce and payroll.

Massachusetts legislators were reportedly authorized in 2011, to grant licenses for three regional resort casinos and one slot parlor. This is the second regional resort casino license the commission has issued.

Earlier, MGM Resorts International ( MGM ) won the license for a casino in Springfield in the western region. Penn National Gaming Corp. ( PENN ) is building the slot parlor in Plainville. Discussions are on to select a licensee for the third casino in the southeastern region of Massachusetts.

However, reportedly, among all these, the most valuable of the state's casino licenses is the Greater Boston license, which Wynn has won. This region is estimated to be worth almost $800 million annually in gaming revenues. This will help Wynn Resorts to offset some of the troubles faced by the company in its other major operating region, Macau

Wynn currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the same industry include 500.com Limited ( WBAI ), which carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

WYNN RESRTS LTD (WYNN): Free Stock Analysis Report

MGM RESORTS INT (MGM): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Wynn Resorts Wins Lucrative Boston-Area Casino License - Analyst Blog

Lewes, DE (PRWEB) September 17, 2014

Wood Waste, Bagasse and Municipal Solid Waste to Remain Major Feedstocks. By mid-2014, wood waste was the most-used biopower feedstock, based on cumulative capacity. Around 32% of all biopower capacity used wood waste as their primary feedstock, as it is very widely available from a number of sources, such as timber businesses. Bagasse was the second most popular, with a 25.77% share, driven by sugarcane's status as a major crop in India, Brazil and China, three of the largest biopower markets. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), which is also a universally available feedstock, was the third most popular at 16.72%. Landfill gas, wastewater and palm oil had smaller shares, while other feedstock materials contributed 17.25% of the biopower capacity.

Brazil and the UK had the Largest Solid Biomass Capacity Additions in 2013. In 2013, Brazil installed the largest biomass power capacity globally, with 1,730 Megawatts (MW), or 29.7% of the total for that year. The UK was a distant second at 12%, with an annual capacity addition of 641 MW. India, which has a large potential for biomass power, made a significant addition to its capacity with 500 MW, which equated to 10% of the global capacity addition. Thailand, Germany, China, Poland, and Italy followed, with 7.3%, 6.5%, 5%, 4.8% and 2.6% respectively. All other countries' biomass power capacity additions accounted for the remaining 22% of the global annual capacity.

New report "Global Biopower Market - Capacity, Generation, Market Size, Major Feedstock, Regulations, and Key Country Analysis to 2025", provides a clear overview of and detailed insight into the global biopower market. It explains the key drivers and challenges affecting the market and also provides data regarding historic and forecast market growth, average capital expenditure, market size and regulations, globally and in the key biopower countries: US, Brazil, UK, Germany, India, and China.

Why you should by this report

Target Audience: Investors, Government Agencies, Power Generation Companies, Turn Key Solution Provides, Policy Makers, Energy Consultants

Buy this report: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/globaldata/global-biopower-market-capacity-generation-market-size-major-feedstock-regulations-and

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About Market Research Reports, Inc. Market Research Reports, Inc. is the world's leading source for market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest market research reports on global markets, key industries, leading companies, new products and latest industry analysis & trends. Press Contact: Mr. Amitava Sen VP - Sales & Marketing Market Research Reports, Inc. Tel USA: +1-302-703-7787 Tel India: +91-80-26860858 For latest industry updates join our free news letter service at: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/subscribe-to-newsletter

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Global Biopower Market - Capacity, Generation, Market Size, Major Feedstock, Regulations, and Key Country Analysis ...

Inspired by the legacies of US and African leaders, the library is intended to give context to issues that characterised the former presidents term.

Former president Thabo Mbeki's presidential library is intended to give context to issues that characterised his term in office. (Delwyn Verasamy, M&G)

Thabo Mbeki built a library so large and so complex only he could navigate it, writes author Stacy Hardy in A brief history of presidential libraries.

She writes of Mbekis ability to carry his books in his head, a library as reliable as the great archives of France, the United Kingdom and Russia.

Former president Thabo Mbekis presidential library will be constructed in three phases: the first is a miniature library in the Kgorong Building at Unisa Muckleneuk campus. The second phase involves the Unisa main library and is expected to open next year. The third phase will be the establishment of a facility to house the expanded library and museum.

This week, reporters were shown around a prototype of the library on the first floor of Kgorong building on Unisas main campus.

Dr Buhle Mbambo-Thata, the executive director and curator of the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library, or TMPL, said: TMPL [which she pronounced temple] is not a shrine for Thabo Mbeki but a place for us to share ideas, a living library to preserve the presence of the man.

Mbambo-Thata said the library was launched in September to commemorate heritage month and to celebrate Steve Bantu Biko, whose anniversary was four days before the launch.

This is where he can tell his story Mbekis presidency was marked by HIV and Aids denialism, neoliberal economic policies and his quiet diplomacy on Zimbabwe. With the establishment of the library, Mbeki wishes to place his political work within a larger context.

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Mbeki's presidential library seeks to pin down a new narrative