August 7, 2014 - X-League (X-League) (ST. CHARLES, MO) | For the second time in two weeks, the X-League Indoor Football League has announced league expansion. The Corpus Christi Fury and the Florida Tarpons, who incidentally played for the UIFL League Championship last Saturday, August 2 - a game the Fury won, 60-23 - have just become the newest members of the league.

This announcement comes just days after the league announced that the Cape Fear Heroes were joining the X-League, joining the Alabama Outlawz, Florida Marine Raiders, Georgia Rampage, Savannah Steam and St. Louis Attack. "We are sincerely excited to add two teams of their caliber," said X-League Commissioner Michael Mink. "We will continue to build our league upon a solid foundation of success and increase our footprint throughout the United States," said Mink.

The Hammerheads were founded in 2003 and became known as the Fury in 2013. The Fury home games are played at the American Bank Center and are coached by LaDaniel Marshall. "We are excited to join forces with established teams we have played against in the past and reignite some previous rivalries. We are focused on the 2015 season and continuing to build on the momentum from our championship win," said Fury General Manager Robert Wehling.

The Florida Tarpons are based in Estero, FL and play at the Germain Arena. The team was founded in 2011 the Tarpons have played in their league championship game in 2012, 2013 (champions), and 2014. "We are pleased to renew our rivalry with in-state opponents the Florida Marine Raiders. Are fans will be excited to see the cross state battles," said Florida Tarpons Head Coach Michael Taylor.

With these most recent additions, the X-League is set up to be ultra-competitive, with five of its eight teams having played in its League's Championship Game in 2014. In addition to the contest between Corpus Christi Fury and the Florida Tarpons in the UIFL, the St. Louis Attack played the Florida Marine Raiders in the X-League Championship, and the Cape Fear Heroes played in the AIF Championship.

The Cape Fear Heroes, last week's X-League addition, are owned by Barbara Spigner. The team was founded in 2011 in Fayetteville, North Carolina and will be entering their fourth season of indoor football. In their previous three seasons in another indoor football league they have been played made the League Finals in all three years and won the League Championship in 2012. Spigner has also won another League Championship with her 2008 Florence Phantoms.

The Heroes will continue to play their home games at the Cumberland County Crown Coliseum that seats over 8,500 fans. "We believe that Cape Fear is a strong contender with a winning culture and will increase the level of competition throughout the league," said X-League Commissioner Michael Mink.

This addition will increase the X-League's presence in the Southeast Region and increase the intensity of rivalries. Cape Fear sees the X-League as a growing league with stable yet ambitious leadership and a home for their future. "I am belated to be joining such a well-structured league that shares our vision, open to team owners' opinions, and is looking out for the best interests of the players, fans, and league owners," said Spigner. Many leagues were attempting to court the Cape Fear Heroes, but it was ultimately the past working relationship between Spigner and Mink that led to the decision to move to the X-League.

The X-League is still reviewing expansion applications as well as communicating with additional established teams about joining the existing seven teams that make up the X-league. The current line-up of teams is expected to grow further as we get closer to the 2015 X-League Season.

For more information on the X-League go to http://www.xleaguefootball.com. The X-League is entering its second season in 2015 after being founded by Michael Mink and Kacee Smith. The current X-League National Champions are the Florida Marine Raiders.

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Florida Tarpons, Corpus Christi Fury Join X-League

Hawaiian Telcom's second-quarter story was once again dominated by its consumer segment, where the telco reported that revenue was $36.3million, up4.3 percentyear-over-year due to revenue growth from its TVand high-speed Internet (HSI) services.

The service provider said that the ongoing buildout of its last mile fiber-based network has become the "catalyst" in driving video and HSI services, which is more than offsetting declines from legacy services.

"Our second quarter results closed the first half of 2014 on a strong note, highlighted by the highest number ofHawaiian Telcom TVsubscriber additions since its launch a little over three years ago," said Eric K. Yeaman, Hawaiian Telcom's president and CEO, in the earnings release. "Hawaii's best entertainment experience can now reach 142,000 households on Oahu and awareness for the service is steadily growing, giving us positive momentum and positioning us to further increase our video market share."

The service provider saw similar gains in the business segment, particularly in next-gen services such as Ethernet. Similar to its larger ILEC counterparts AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ), business revenues declined slightly due to a decrease in equipment, managed services and legacy revenues.

Here's a breakdown of the telco's key metrics:

Broadband and Video:Consumer HSI revenue rose in the quarter to $2.6 million as the overall subscriber base rose to a total of about 91,400 customers, which was primarily driven by HSI pull-through rates from new video subscribers and standalone HSI subscriber additions.As of the end of June, about 54 percent of all of Hawaiian Telcom's video subscribers had a triple-play bundle and about 91 percent had double- or triple-play bundles.Per the industry-wide trend, revenue increases from video and HSI were partially offset by legacy revenue declines related to consumer access and long distance line losses of 8.4 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.

Likewise, video service revenue grew 2.9 percent year-over-year to $5.5 million, driven by the addition of approximately 9,500 subscribers for a total of approximately 23,100 subscribers at the end of the second quarter.Hawaiian Telcom TVaverage revenue per user (ARPU) was up nearly 11.4 percent year-over-year and 2.6 percent when compared to the first quarter of 2014.During the quarter, the service provider enabled an additional 12,000 customers with IPTV, increasing the total number of households enabled to 142,000 with over 50 percentof those households capable of connecting directly to the company's fiber-based broadband technology.At the end of the second quarter,Hawaiian Telcom TVpenetration of households enabled was approximately 16.3 percent.

Business segment:Business revenue was $42.1 million, down $0.5 million from the same period a year ago, primarily due to a $2.4 million year-over-year decrease in equipment and managed services revenue, mostly related to a $1.8 million sale of equipment to a large Hawaii-based private school in the second quarter of 2013.Also, a year-over-year decline in legacy business access and long distance revenues contributed to the business revenue decline.However, Hawaiian Telcom said these decreases were largely offset by $2.1 million of incremental net revenue added as a result of the SystemMetrics acquisition and a 4.6 percent year-over-year increase in business data revenue driven by higher demand for IP-based data services.

Wholesale segment:Wholesale revenue was $15.8million, down $0.5 millionyear-over-year to $14.3million. The telco attributes the decline to a number of its wireless carrier customers replacing their bandwidth legacy copper-based T-1 circuits with fiber-based, higher bandwidth Ethernet circuits.Likewise, switched carrier access revenue declined $0.2 million year-over-year to $1.5 million, which it also attributes to the overall decline in access lines and minutes of use and the impact of intercarrier compensation reform.

Overall second-quarter 2014 revenue was $96.8 million, up from $97 million in the second quarter of 2013. Next-gen video, HSI and $2.1 million of net incremental data center services revenue from SystemMetrics revenue was offset by a $2.4 million decrease in equipment and managed services revenue, related to lower customer premise equipment sales, and a 5.5 percent decline in access lines.

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Hawaiian Telcom's Q2 consumer revenues rise to $36.3M on broadband, TV growth

The Expendables 3 is a mostly successful blend of the franchises first two films. Its filled with the wanton mayhem and destruction of the second film, but also plenty of terrible dialogue and overall cheesiness of the first movie. Despite those flaws, thePatrick Hughessequel works because its constantly fun and features a story that builds off the fact the franchise was in danger of getting stale, leading it into a new era. Read the rest of our Expendables 3 review below.

When the first Expendables came out, the joke of it was it starred aging action stars. In The Expendables 3, thats finally caught up to the narrative. As the film begins, the core team (Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and Dolph Lundgren) complete a dangerous mission that has Barney (Stallone) questioning everyones mortality. Maybe everyone is just getting too old and he doesnt want to lose more friends. That sets up a story where he leaves his friends behind to recruit a new, young version of The Expendables (newcomers Kellen Lutz,Ronda Rousey, Victor Ortiz and Glen Powell). Theyre tasked with taking down the baddest bad guy yet, played by Mel Gibson andthings, of course, go horribly wrong. I bet you cant guess who is called in to save the day.

That idea of old vs. new, coupled with Barneys guilt, gives the film a not-so-subtle, but welcome, emotional core. Theres both the generation gap to deal with as well as the idea of friendship and family being more important than business. Its nice that the film has even an inkling of pathos to go along with the trademark humor and action.

The script by Stallone,Creighton RothenbergandKatrin Benediktgivesevery member of this cast multiple times to shine. New additions such as Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes and Harrison Ford, all have pretty sizable parts with plenty of scenery to chew on. (Kelsey Grammaris the one person who gets the short end of the stick, unfortunately.) Its Gibson though, as the heavy of the piece, who is the star among stars. Hes channelling some of that Lethal Weapon wackiness blended with William Wallaces charisma and its great. You really miss having Gibson as a movie star in The Expendables 3.

But its not all smooth sailing. The film is filled with an incessant amount of awful one liners and the whole second act is bogged down by its own creation. The Expendables 3 is built around this great self-aware narrative idea but that idea back them into a few corners. First, the self-awareness frequently goes too far. For example, Arnold Schwarzeneggers character actually says Get to the Chopper instead of just winking at it. Plus, because Barney has to recruit a new team, were forced to relive the same scene four times to introduce all these characters. Once theyre on board, you have these new, young characters who are smart and modern. That means, when they go on their first mission and use a bunch of new technology, the ease of it almost feels lazy when compared to the big boom of the old Expendables.

Thats not to say the new team is boring. They have a swagger and energy thats nicely opposed to the old team. However, theyre seriously short changed on backstory and their entire second act feels like nothing more than an obvious, dialed down place holder to bridge the gap between the opening and the climax.

Despite the predictability of it all, the third act is probablythe best overall actionscene in the entire franchise. Its massive and the way everyone gets a heroic moment is commendable. The stunts and explosions are off the charts and though they get punctuated with some really eye-rolling dialogue and unbelievable set pieces, its just fun to see how this massive cast can come together in a way that makes narrative sense.

Much was made about the fact The Expendables 3 was rated PG-13 and not R, but you dont really notice. More people die in this movie than most R rated movies. You just dont see the blood. And despite what may or may not be available on the internet, The Expendables 3 is a must see on the big screen.

Overall, The Expendables 3 is a your basic, solid, fun, summer action movie. Its exactly what you expect and while there are plenty of bad parts, the good ones more than balance them out. Itll be nice to see how the franchise moves forward now that its been infused with this new blood.

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The Expendables 3 Review: Plenty of Dumb Action As The Franchise Matures

This mansion in Woodside sold for $117.5 million; it is show in this image is from July 7, 2011. The image is taken from the back yard angle. (Photo from pictometry.com) (pictometry.com)

Unless a successful appeal is made to the Woodside Town Council, a major remodel of a $117.5 million mansion will remain stopped in its tracks.

That's because the town's planning commission split Thursday night on whether to allow work to proceed on the three-story house with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a four-car garage, a swimming pool and a pool house on an 8.74-acre estate at 360 Mountain Home Road.

Last year, the town gave the owner permission to build one-story additions on each side of the main residence, expand the front entry, enlarge the basement and construct an addition to the pool house.

But when staff planners inspected the site on May 19, they found that "the entire first floor of the main residence was demolished," leaving the second and third floors of the building shored up on metal construction beams, according to a staff memo.

Because the planning commission voted 3-3 Thursday to approve a revised site design permit and 3-3 to reject the remodeling work, the stop-work order remains in place with the exception of some safety-related measures, Senior Planner Sage Schaan said.

So the ball now is in the court of the owner, listed on Woodside documents when the house sold in 2012 as "SV Projects LLC."

The applicant is expected to appeal the planning commission's decision to the Town Council, Schaan said.

Documents submitted to the town Wednesday by Van Acker Construction state that the town was told removal of "additional first floor framing was done for safety reasons based on recommendations from the applicant's structural engineer" and that some of the first-floor demolition was within the scope of a permit granted to expand the basement.

Representatives of the construction company could not be reached for comment Friday.

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Major remodel of $117 million Woodside mansion remains in limbo

Canadian stocks fell, completing the worst two-day slump since January, as crude oil prices declined to offset a gain in gold after U.S. employers added fewer jobs than forecast.

Element Financial Corp. and AGF Management Ltd. lost more than 1.9 percent to pace declines among financial stocks. Vermilion Energy Inc. and Enerplus Corp. fell at least 2 percent. Eldorado Gold Corp. (ELD) jumped 6.9 percent after raising its production forecast. Pacific Rubiales (PRE) Energy Corp. rose 5.7 percent after Bloomberg News reported executives are considering buying the company to fend off a potential outside offer.

The Standard & Poors/TSX Composite Index (SPTSX) fell 115.48 points, or 0.8 percent, to 15,215.26 at 4 p.m. in Toronto, giving it a weekly decline of 1.6 percent. The index fell 1.3 percent yesterday, the first time it moved by 1 percent or more since April. The benchmark Canadian equity gauge closed at a record high on July 30.

Vermilion Energy lost 3.6 percent and Enerplus Corp. retreated 2 percent. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery declined 0.3 percent, falling a fifth day. Prices are down 4.1 percent this week, the biggest weekly decline in seven months. U.S. refineries cut their utilization rate last week for the first time in more than a month, according to government data.

Energy stocks in the S&P/TSX tumbled 1.4 percent as a group. Seven of 10 industries in the Canadian stock index retreated on trading volume that was 16 percent greater than the 30-day average.

Eldorado Gold jumped 6.9 percent. Gold for December delivery rose 0.9 percent to $1,294.80 an ounce in New York, after prices fell 3 percent in July as a U.S. equity rally eroded demand for the metal as a haven.

U.S. employers added 209,000 jobs in July, short of the median forecast for 230,000 additions forecast by economists. Wages and hours were unchanged from June. The jobless rate climbed to 6.2 percent as more people entered the labor force.

Pacific Rubiales added 5.7 percent for a third day of gains. Executives hired Banco Itau BBA SA and Citigroup Inc. to arrange a loan and seek partners for a possible management buyout, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The plan is a defensive move after Alfa SAB, the Mexican auto parts and petrochemical company, raised its Pacific Rubiales stake more than 20 times in just over two months, the two people said asking not to be named because talks are private.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eric Lam in Toronto at elam87@bloomberg.net

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Canada Stocks Fall After Selloff on Jobs Data as Oil Price Drops

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 31, 2014

One of the fastest growing companies in the country, Force Marketing exceeded goals and expectations during the second quarter of 2014. The months of April, May and June saw the firms team expanding and its profits rising as the team gained clients like the Crown Automotive Group and many more.

The Crown Automotive Group, a group with 22 dealerships representing 33 franchises operating in Florida, Tennessee and Ohio, met extensively with top agencies across the country over the course of six months before finally selecting Force Marketing as its digital agency of record.

In addition the Crown Automotive Group, many other dealer groups began working with Force Marketing during the second quarter. The company remains on track to exceed the ambitious goals it set for the year.

This kind of sustained growth in both clients and revenue necessarily commands growth in human resources as well. To meet this need, Force Marketing expanded its team during the second quarter of 2014.

As a business, we have grown tremendously, and thats a testament to our incredibly talented and dedicated team members, said John Fitzpatrick, CEO and President. Each individual that has joined our team has brought with them a wealth of professional experience, and we have been able to utilize that experience to better serve our clients.

The new associates joined the team in key positions in both the Atlanta and New York offices, and proved immediately valuable to the company.

The team members who joined Force Marketing during the second quarter of 2014 included:

Allison Brenner - Digital Copywriter Bladimir Liriano - Northeast Regional Sales Manager Carlie Parr - Production Assistant Kathryn Steed - Traffic Coordinator Kaylee Jackson - Digital Account Manager Jonathan Guarin - Data & List Coordinator Nick Cybela - Senior E-Commerce Strategy Director Ryoko Hughes - Senior Web Designer Toni Meyers - Account Executive

The addition of these team members is a direct reflection of the companys continual increase in business over not just the second quarter, but the past several years. In 2013, Force Marketing was honored in Inc. magazines 2nd annual Inc. Hire Power Awards, which recognize private businesses that have generated the most jobs during the past three years. Force Marketing ranked No. 11 within the state of Georgia.

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Automotive Marketing Firm Boasts Impressive Second Quarter | Force Marketing

T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) added more customers than analysts estimated and raised its forecast for subscriber growth as the carrier continues to challenge rivals with cheaper plans and promotions.

The company added 908,000 monthly branded customers, which exceeded the 717,000 estimated in a Bloomberg survey of eight analysts. The company now projects it will add as many as 3.5 million postpaid subscribers this year, according to a statement today.

John Legere, chief executive officer of T-Mobile, is winning over customers with price cuts and phone financing offers, forcing larger rivals AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. to follow suit. The continued subscriber growth may heighten T-Mobiles appeal to SoftBank Corp. (9984) Masayoshi Son, SoftBanks CEO, wants U.S. regulators to allow Sprint Corp. (S) and T-Mobile to combine to create a stronger No. 3 wireless competitor.

The better T-Mobile does, the more valuable they look to an acquirer, but at the same time they look even more valuable to regulators as a standalone business, Roger Entner, an analyst with Recon Analytics LLC, in Dedham, Massachusetts, said in an interview before the results were announced.

T-Mobile, the fourth-largest U.S. wireless carrier, now expects it will add 3 million to 3.5 million postpaid subscribers this year, up from a range of 2.8 million to 3.3 million in its previous forecast. The Bellevue, Washington-based carrier is majority owned by Deutsche Telekom AG. (DTE)

T-Mobile US Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Legere is winning over customers with price cuts and phone financing offers, forcing larger rivals AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. to follow suit. Close

T-Mobile US Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Legere is winning over customers with... Read More

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T-Mobile US Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Legere is winning over customers with price cuts and phone financing offers, forcing larger rivals AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. to follow suit.

T-Mobile ended its streak of four straight quarterly losses thanks to a $731 million gain from swapping spectrum with Verizon. The company reported second-quarter net income of $391 million, or 48 cents a share, compared with a loss a year ago. Without the spectrum swap, T-Mobile would have posted a net loss.

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T-Mobile Returns to Profit as Promotions Keep Luring Subscribers

The Americana Music Association confirmed the second half of its 15th Annual AmericanaFest lineup today. Among the additions include Sturgill Simpson, Robert Ellis, Bobby Bare Jr., Elizabeth Cook, Steep Canyon Rangers and Angaleena Presley. These artists will join the previously announced lineup of The Avett Brothers, Lee Ann Womack, Sarah Jarosz and Marty Stuart, among others.

Americana Music Festival will kick off September 17-21 in Nashville, TN beginning with the Honors & Awards Show at the historic Ryman Auditorium. All ticketing information is available here.

Americana Festival Lineup:

Andrew Combs Anthony DAmato The Audreys Banditos Baskery Black & the Rodeo Kings The Black Lillies Bobby Bare Jr. Bradford Lee Folk Brooke Russell & the Mean Reds The Bros. Landreth The Brothers Comatose Cale Tyson Caleb Klauder Country Band Carolina Story Cory Branan Cory Chisels Soul Obscura The Danberrys David Ramirez The Devil Makes Three Elizabeth Cook Ernie Hendrickson Falls Feufollett Frank Fairfield Grace and Tony Griffin House The Haden Triplets Harlan Pepper Howard Fishman The Hot Nut Riveters Humming House Humming People Iman McLagan James Maddock Jim Lauderdale Laura Cantrell Lauren Shera Leftover Salmon feat. Bill Payne (Little Feat) Liz Longley JLos Colognes The Mae Trio The Mastersons Matthew Ryan Matt Anderson Matt the Electrician Matthew Mayfield Matthew Perryman Jones Mike Farrie Mipso Moot Davis NQ Arbuckle Over the Rhine Parsonfield (formerly Poor Old Shine) Peter Bradley Adams Phil Madeira Police Dog Hogan Promised Land Sound Robby Hecht Robert Ellis Ryan Tanner Shinyribs The Silks Sleepy Banjo Boys Sons of Bill Steelism Steep Canyon Rangers The Stray Birds Sturgill Simpson Tim Carroll Truth & Salvage Co. Webb Wilder Willie Sugarcapps Zachary Lucky Zoe Muth Allison Moorer Amy Ray Angaleena Presley The Avett Brothers The Barefoot Movement Ben Miller Band Billy Joe Shaver Black Prairie Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay Buddy Miller The Cactus Blossoms Carlene Carter Caroline Rose Chatham County Line Chuck Mead Danny & The Champions The Deadly Gentleman Del Barber The Deslondes Doug Seegers The Duhks The Dustbowl Revival Emily Barker & the Red Clay Halo Ethan Johns The Fairfield Four The Grahams Grant-Lee Phillips Green River Ordinance Greensky Bluegrass Gregory Alan Isakov Greyhounds The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer Hayes Carll Howlin Brothers Immigrant Union Isreal Nash Jamestown Revival Jason Eady JD Wilkes & the Dirt Daubers Joe Henry Joe Pug Joe Purdy John Moreland Jonah Tolchin Johnny Two Bags Josh Ritter Joshua James Lake Street Dive Lee Ann Womack Leo Welch Lera Lynn Marah Presents: Mountain Minstrelsy Marty Stuart Matthew Ryan McCrary Sisters Nathaniel Rateliff New Country Rehab Oh Susanna Otis Gibbs Parker Millsap Paul Thorn Pete Molinari Quebe Sisters Band Rhett Miller Robbie Fulks Robyn Hitchcock Rodney Crowell Ruthie Foster Ryan Montbleau Sam Outlaw Sarah Jarosz Sean Rowe Shakey Graves Suzy Bogguss Todd Snider & Friends Tom Freund Tony Joe White Trigger Hippy (feat. Jackie Greene, Joan Osbourne, Steve Gorman, Tom Bukovac & Nick Govrik) Whiskey Shivers Willie Watson

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Americana Music Fest Confirms Additional Artists

Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI/B), Canadas largest wireless carrier by subscribers, met analysts profit and sales estimates as the company initiated a turnaround plan to try to return to growth.

Second-quarter earnings fell to 84 Canadian cents a share, excluding some items, matching the average of analyst estimates. Revenue was little changed at C$3.21 billion, the Toronto-based company said today in a statement. Analysts had projected C$3.21 billion ($3 billion), according to the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Chief Executive Officer Guy Laurence, who took over in December, announced an effort two months ago to create long-term value by cutting costs and improving service in the face of mounting customer dissatisfaction. For now, he has said hes more focused on boosting revenue than reversing the trend of trailing subscriber growth. The wireless operator is also confronting the threat of new competition as Quebecor Inc. aims to become the fourth national carrier.

The CEO is still fairly new and weve seen some restructuring and new strategies, but itll likely take some time before we see any real changes there, Troy Crandall, a Montreal-based analyst at MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier Inc., said in an interview before the earnings statement.

The restructuring plan, including cuts to management positions, is expected to be completed by September, Laurence said on a conference call with reporters.

Rogers signed up fewer long-term customers as Laurence shunned discount promotions. Still, the company made more money from each user, on average, than analysts projected.

Rogers added 38,000 wireless contract customers in the second quarter, compared with the 43,000 estimated by seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Average revenue per contract customer was C$66.40 a month, compared with the C$64.93 expected by analysts.

Rogers decision not to pursue aggressive wireless promotions since the start of 2014 is clearly having an impact, Dvai Ghose, a Toronto-based analyst with Canaccord Genuity Group Inc., wrote today in a note to clients. All in all we see some signs of progress.

The bulk of revenue growth per customer came from users jumping to bigger data plans, said Anthony Staffieri, the companys chief financial officer.

Pricing had a smaller impact, and its really the migration to higher buckets thats driving the improvements youre seeing there, he said on a separate conference call with analysts.

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Rogers Profit Meets Estimates as Customer Additions Miss

Window Replacement Gainesville VA | (703) 991-5526
Window Replacement Gainesville VA | (703) 991-5526 http://zenwindows.com/locations/replacement-windows-washington-dc/ Replacement Windows in Washington DC. Z...

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Window Replacement Gainesville VA | (703) 991-5526 - Video