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On December 18, the U.S. State Department re-designated a host of countries as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, [and] egregious violations of religious freedom.

Among those re-designated were Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Also re-designated were China, Eritrea, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

Elsewhere in Central Asia, Uzbekistan landed again on the Special Watch List (SWL) for governments that have engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. The SWL, a new category created by 2016 amendments to the IRFA, is a status below CPC but entails no penalties. Comoros and Russia were kept on the SWL, to which Cuba, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Sudan were added.

In its statement announcing the designations, the State Department concludes strongly: No country, entity, or individual should be able to persecute people of faith without accountability. We have acted, and we will continue to do so.

But as with previous CPC designations for Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, the U.S. government has waived imposing any penalties, presumably on national security grounds. On one hand, the U.S. government recognizes failures to uphold the principles of freedom of religion in these countries; on the other hand, Washington keeps itself from following up with actions more concrete than naming and shaming.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal body that monitors the status of freedom of religion abroad in order to make policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress, welcomed the designations. In a statement, Vice Chair Gayle Manchin said, Now that these designations have been made, the State Department must take strong action in response, as required by IRFA. We urge the State Department to fully utilize the range of tools available to ensure strong consequences for the most egregious violators, and not rely on waivers or pre-existing sanctions. The CPC-designated countries must know that the United States will not only call them out but also impose costs for violations of this most sacred right.

On December 26, a notice was published in the Federal Register noting the designations and outlining the secretary of states own designation of presidential actions to be taken in accordance with the law.

Both Turkmenistan and Tajikistan were, as with in all their previous designations as CPCs, granted waivers as required in the important national interest of the United States.

The IRFA provides a menu of options for a president and his administration, outlined in section 405: public condemnation; cancellation of scientific or cultural exchanges; withdrawal, limitation, or suspension of U.S. development assistance and U.S. security assistance; instructions to U.S. executive directors in international financial institutions (like the World Bank) to vote against loans benefiting the targeted foreign government; restrictions on the issuance of licenses to export any goods or technology to the foreign government; prohibition against the making, guaranteeing, or insuring of loans, or extension of credit by certain U.S. financial institutions to the violating government; and prohibition of U.S. government procurement of goods or services from such governments.

The IRFA, however, also allows the president to waive imposing any of the above if certain conditions are met.

Tajikistan has been designated as a CPC since 2016 and Turkmenistan since 2014. Uzbekistan had been designated as a CPC from 2006 to 2018 until it was removed in 2018 and placed on the SWL. All three were granted waivers and never suffered any of the consequences outlined by the IRFA.

In its 2019 annual report, released in April 2019, USCIRF recommended that Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan be designated again. In the case of Uzbekistan, USCIRF noted that while religious freedom conditions in Uzbekistan trended positive in certain areas serious concerns remain. USCIRF specifically highlighted that thousands of religious prisoners remain behind bars and those that have been released by the government (all old men) have not been rehabilitated; they remain former convicts with no path to clearing their names. Christian groups, like Baptists and Jehovahs Witnesses face restrictions and registration difficulties.

Get first-read access to major articles yet to be released, as well as links to thought-provoking commentaries and in-depth articles from our Asia-Pacific correspondents.

The continued designation of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, but with sanctions waived, illustrates tension between professed U.S. ideals of religious freedom and other interests. The exact reasons are not stated, but its assumed the waivers are because of U.S. interests related to the war in Afghanistan and regional security. Beyond Afghanistan, direct U.S. interests in the economic sphere, for example in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are limited. One has to wonder what this process will look like in the event of a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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Of Concerns and Waivers: Religious Freedom and US Interests in Central Asia - The Diplomat

US sanctions against the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline have caused widespread anger in Germany, and even critics of the project are now seeking to slap the American molecules of freedom with an eco-tax in reprisal.

The prospect of crushing sanctions(included in funding for the US military signed by President Donald Trump last week) has already compelled Swiss-Dutch company Allseas to halt construction on the last remaining portion of the pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea, from Russia to Germany.

An economist from the progressive, government-funded think tank has called the sanctions a ploy by the US to sell its own liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany and Europe at the highest possible cost, accusing both Washington and Moscow of using gas as a political weapon.

Claudia Kemfert, an economist at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), has argued that Nord Stream 2 is environmentally harmful, economically unnecessary and financially unprofitable but described the US sanctions as unacceptable and requiring a response from the EU.

Europe should consider imposing climate tariffs on the United States so that environmentally harmful fracking gas cannot be exported from the United States to Germany and Europe

While the government in Berlin has expressedregret over US interference in our domestic affairs, it has done nothing to counter it. Kemferts initiative, first mentioned in the daily Handelsblatt earlier this week, appears to be the only proposed reprisal so far.

This may also be the first time anyone has criticized American LNG as environmentally harmful; most of it is produced by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a practice that critics say causes earthquakes and pollutes the water with toxic substances.

Ironically, Germany is one of Europes biggest carbon emitters, because almost half of its energy generation comes from burning coal. Berlin has directed immense subsidies to wind, solar, and biofuels over the past decade, while seeking to shut down its nuclear power plants resulting in some of the highest retail prices for electricity in Europe, and leaving Germany desperate for cheaper energy sources, such as Russian gas.

Meanwhile, the US envoy to Germany, Richard Grenell, called the sanctions a very pro-European decision and said that thankful European diplomats havebeen calling him about it. While he did not specify which European countries they represented, Poland and the Baltic States have been outspokenly opposed to Nord Stream 2. Sohas Ukraine, which is in Europe but not an EU member.

Objections to the pipeline from Washington, Kiev, and Warsaw have been mainly political in nature, dealing with the potential loss of leverage more than anything else. The US has condemned the EUs increasing dependency on Russian gas, while offering its own LNG officially described as molecules of freedom as an alternative, though at a much higher price.

Warsaw and Kiev, on the other hand, have bemoaned that Nord Stream 2 would rob them of billions of dollars in transit fees theyve been collecting from Russia over the years. The Baltic pipeline was conceived after a 2009 dispute between Ukraine and Russia, when Kiev effectively blocked the flow of gas to Europe during a vicious cold snap in order to get a better deal from Moscow.

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Climate tariffs on fracked molecules of freedom: German think tank wants to punish US for sanctions against Nord Stream 2 - RT

Amit Pal

Director of Communications

Freedom From Religion Foundation

Winter Solstice has recently kept us on our toes here at the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Of course, some religious folks observe this time of the year as Christmas and often try to impose their belief system on the rest of the population. This includes their insistence on pushing religious displays into the public sphere.

Robust freethinking displaysOur response has been robust. With the help of you members, we have been visible from coast to coast. In Eugene, Ore., weve had a large banner above a street explaining the real reason for the celebration at this time of the year. We debuted our Bill of Rights Nativity in the state of New Jersey. We provided a freethinking perspective yet again in the legislative center of the most important state in the country. And we made our presence felt in our home states hinterland for the very first time. We faced the usual Christian Nationalist hostility; the fact that our banner was vandalized at the Washington Capitol didnt deter us, however. FFRF Attorney Liz Cavell succinctly provides us the right information for this season about the legality of religious displays on public property. Watch for other similar FAQs soon.

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Weekly Wrap: Winter Solstice celebrations and responses | Freedom From Religion Foundation - Patheos

Enes Kanter arrived at Scotiabank Arena wearing a black T-shirt that read 'Freedom for All.'

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Enes Kanter wore his heart on his chest for the Boston Celtics Christmas Day game in Toronto.

The Turkish centre arrived at Scotiabank Arena wearing a black T-shirt that read Freedom for All.

Toronto hosted the Celtics on Wednesday for the Raptors first Christmas Day game in franchise history, and the fact Kanter was able to cross the border at all was big news.

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We landed and they were like, Okay, heres the moment! Kanter told reporters prior to tipoff. And people were asking me if I was nervous and Im just like, No, Im just excited. It was really good.

Kanter is an outspoken critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government for its treatment of residents. The Turkish government revoked his passport in 2017, and so he had not travelled outside the United States for years.

He was able to travel on Wednesday after discussions with the Canadian government, and in a column published earlier this week in The Globe and Mail, Kanter thanked Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government.

Coming here and now just stepping outside of America for the first time in years, its definitely more than a game for me, Kanter said on Wednesday. Its definitely a blessing to play on a Christmas Day, especially in Toronto, the defending champions.

But it feels good to be out. It feels good to be free, it feels good to be enjoying this time with my teammates, for sure. Its amazing.

Kanter said the Celtics had been working on securing safe travel for him since the schedule was released at the beginning of the season. He said he wasnt 100-per-cent sure hed get the green light however until Dec. 23.

One of my friends reached out to Trudeaus office yesterday and he was vacationing in Costa Rica or something like that, and they said, We all good and told me not to worry about it and that everythings gonna be smooth, Kanter said.

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Kanter, who hosted 50 basketball camps last year in the United States, said hed love to host two or three in Canada this summer.

So now I have a travel document and now Im planning to come here to do a basketball camp in Toronto and Ottawa, and when I run my basketball camp Im planning on meeting with Trudeau, he said.

[Canada] is one of the best countries in the world, but obviously I cannot give back in any way but basketball, so thats why Im gonna come back here to hold a basketball camp.

The 27-year-old big man is averaging 7.8 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Celtics this season.

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'Freedom for All': Enes Kanter finally allowed to travel outside the U.S. for game - The Globe and Mail

Happy Hanukkah, a day freedom-loving people of all backgrounds should celebrate Jewish tradition and freedom of religion.

Jewish actor-comedian Adam Sandler defines Hanukkah as eight crazy nights, and others give it the irreverent description the Jewish Christmas. For most Americans, it is a joyful holiday that helps make November and December the holiday season of music, lights, company parties and a festive atmosphere palpable in schools, shopping districts and the places we work.

The history of Hanukkah is serious and relevant to conflicts of a modern era burdened by religious persecution and anti-faith tyranny around much of the globe.

Hanukkah reminds us that religious liberty forms the foundation of freedom. It teaches us that freedom of religion never can be taken for granted. Those who have it can all thank those who fought and died for it.

Hanukkah celebrates the successful Maccabean revolt of the second-century B.C. Jews practicing Judaism in the land of Judea, aka the land of Israel, came under the rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He forbade the practice of Jewish faith and tradition, ordering all Jews to worship Greek gods. This type of evil theocratic thuggery lives on today, with dictatorships and terror cells beheading, stoning and terrorizing Christians, Jews, Uyghurs, Hindus and others who refuse to denounce their faiths and embrace another god.

Led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, a large-scale rebellion broke out against Antiochus and the Seleucid monarchy, explains the History Channel.

When Matthathias died in 166 B.C., his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabee (the Hammer), took the helm; within two years the Jews had successfully driven the Syrians out of Jerusalem, relying largely on guerrilla warfare tactics. Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Second Temple, rebuild its altar and light its menorahthe gold candelabrum whose seven branches represented knowledge and creation and were meant to be kept burning every night.

The temple had only enough olive oil to burn the menorah candles for a day. In what Maccabee and other Jews considered a miracle, the candles flickered for eight nights enough time for them to find a new supply of oil. The eight-night miracle led to the festival known as Hanukkah which means dedication in Hebrew.

Throughout ensuing centuries, Jews have endured routine persecution. They have fought to survive, let alone lead lives of faith in peace.

Celebrate Hanukkah and give thanks for the right to live and worship in freedom, peace and the miracle of light.

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The Colorado Springs Gazette: Happy Hanukkah, a celebration of freedom - coloradopolitics.com

It is Best of the Year list time: best music, films, and concerts. The top fashion collections, celebrity looks and sneaker releases. The Best books, the Best of the Best. This being the end of the decade, we are also treated or subjected, depending on your point of view to the Best of the Decade lists.

But I'm not thinking about lists, I am thinking about love.

Before you roll your eyes and turn the page, please give me a few more sentences to state my case. I am not focused on romantic love, I am talking about the many forms of love that got me through this year, the loves that will get me through the next, this new decade, or 4.5 billion+ years of life on Earth.

I will begin with family love. I am a survivor of childhood abuse, so I am not going on all fairytale-like. Yes, family love can be simple, pure, and true. But it can also be difficult, messy, and conditional based on accomplishments, religion/faith, expressing your sexuality or gender in a certain way. There can be many barriers between an individual and their family, which can lead many of us to create and focus on a logical family rather than biological family.

This year brought a new clarity about both my biological and logical families. People who cheered on successes. People who have helped me when I was sick, broke and/or sad. Friends who carried bags of clothing and ironed clothes in a NYC hotel basement for a fashion presentation. Family and friends who I happily showed up for and who exponentially increased my joy.

The second form of love that got me through this year was a deeper understanding of my anger. Not a blinding rage though some elements of that exists, how can it not? My anger comes from living in an unjust society that motivates me to work for real freedom for all, now. This anger simply drives me to expect justice for all. This anger insists on being called the name I chose for myself, to use a Kwanzaa term: Kujichagulia (self-determination). The root of the word is "Angr," the Old Norse word for "grief." I grieve for the lack of equity; I grieve that no one is really free.

Self-love as survival love No. 3 is something I developed as a child, and for much of my life, it was my main source of love for self. Earlier this year, I dismissed this as not enough love to thrive, and it may not be, but truth be told it is how I still exist to this day. It is part of the base of my internal self-love source sauce, on the downest down days I can dip into its rich simmering broth and remember how I saved my life.

The final form is self-love as an absolute love: a highly concentrated rich gooey resin-like molasses compared to the gravy-thick survivor sauce. After graduate school, I returned to the United States in such a state that a friend said to me, Tereneh, you need to see someone. That someone was a therapist and after several therapy sessions, the counselor asked me a simple enough question that changed my life:

Do you love yourself unconditionally?

My reaction was physical. It felt as though an explosion started in my pelvis and moved down to my feet, then erupted back through my legs, coursing up my spine and bursting from the base of my neck then out through my mouth and eyes in the form of tears, snot, and an animalistic wail. It took me about a minute (or 30?) to finally form the simple one word answer: No.

Fast-forward several years and a friend of mine who had seen me at my worst just a few weeks before that fateful therapy session said, Tereneh, your Patronis (Harry Potter reference to a manifestation of protection) is self-love. This self-love is not the idea of self-perfection; this is unconditional love like all forms of love includes accountability. In the words of bell hooks, Love is intention and action.

It may look happy, messy, angry, joyous, insistent, quiet or loud, but it is all love.

And what I have learned is that love of self is a revolution.

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True freedom is learning to love yourself | Opinion | Pittsburgh - PGH City Paper

Tolerating polar opposite ideologies and practising different politics are only possible in a true democracy. Ironically, the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) does not know this. The partys understanding of real democracy is hypocritical. When in opposition, the PTI lambasted the previous governments for creating hurdles for opposition parties protests. Now that PTI is in power, its practices are no more different than those of the parties it once vehemently criticised. Nevertheless, the Lahore High Court (LHC) setting aside the governments ban on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to hold a rally at Liaqat Bagh is welcome. The constitution grants PPP the right to assemble. And the party reserves every right to hold a rally at Liaqat Bagh to mark the death anniversary of the former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto.

What the court did was the right thing to do; what the government had done before was wrong and suggestive of sidelining the opposition voices. The district administration while refusing the PPP permission to hold a rally to mark the Benazirs anniversary probably forgot that it was peoples constitutional right to enjoy the freedom of assembly. Denying political parties and people the freedom of assembly citing security reasons is not a very convincing reason. It is, in fact, the other way around. People practice their right to assemble, and the state ensures their protection and security.

Now that the PPP will mark the death anniversary of Benazir at her assassination place, will Bilawal succeed in completing the mission that his mother died for? PPPs chairman has already hinted at initiating a new battle against the incumbent government. For him, the key goal is dislodging the PTIs government and re-establishing the peoples rule in the country. But will he achieve what he aims for? How will he dismantle the incumbent government, which Moulana Fazl-ur-Rehman failed to topple? At present, the opposition is not unified; nor is there any such possibility in the future.

The rhetoric that the PPP chairman relies on sounds appealing but only to the party workers. Unlike the martyred Benazir, Bilawal has yet to grasp and exploit the common mans frustrations against the incumbent government. He cannot bring down the government with the help of jiyalas. He needs to galvanise the ordinary people. But can he do so when Sindh is the only province where PPP has a presence? Instead of bringing down the present government, Bilawal will be a source of solace to Benazirs soul if he can re-establish his party all over the country.

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Freedom Of Assembly - The Nation

The blasting sounds of cannons and muskets exploding in the distance rang out as the distinct smell of burning gunpowder permeated the landscape. Unaware of what was hiding behind the trees, British soldiers marched in unison down the tree-lined dirt road. Hiding in the forest were patriots, farmers and common men both young and old holding rifles, swords, axes and rustic farm equipment. As their hearts pounded and their shallow, rapid breaths created small clouds of fog in the cold morning air, they stood silently. They stood as free men, free men willing to die rather than merely exist under the shackles of tyranny. Against all odds, they were willing to stand up to perhaps the most powerful army in the history of the world to build a nation of their own ... and what a nation they built.

244 years later

At the suggestion of Siri, my iPhone alarm woke me up a little early on my day off. I slowly arose from my adjustable bed and stumbled to the kitchen to make a perfect cup of pick-me-up with my instant coffee maker. After filling my stomach with some leftovers from my wonderful wifes cooking, I began rummaging through my overflowing closet to pick out something to wear. As I shuffled through my shirts, I suddenly came across the Trump sweatshirt that I had worn to a rally a couple of weeks before.

A little apprehensive to wear it in the public square, the blood of my forefathers began to boil through my veins as I remembered the Democrats scheme to remove President Donald Trump from office and render my vote meaningless. Defiantly, I threw on the sweatshirt, jumped in my Jeep and headed out to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.

Driving to my destination, I began to wonder, Why the apprehension? Im an outspoken Trump supporter !q why do I feel any hesitation at all about advertising it on a sweatshirt in public?

The answer came quickly. People with loud voices on large media and social media !q stages are trying to label this president and his supporters as something that we are not. They call us racists; they call us bigots, sexists, uneducated and hate-mongers full of incoherent rage.

None of this is true.

I was raised to believe we should love everyone at a human level regardless of ethnicity, religion or political persuasion. That every human being should be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of disability or social status. Our culture has produced this massive lie that somehow disagreement equals hate.

Maybe thats a big part of the political and social chasm that exists today. The truth is I can disagree with aspects of your life, with your beliefs, with your decisions and still love and respect you as a fellow human being.

Why are we silent?

As I arrived at my first destination and maneuvered through the busy aisles, I began to observe peoples faces as they spotted my sweatshirt. Some people smiled and nodded; some couldnt hide their disdain, while a few actually whispered, Nice sweatshirt. A woman at a register lowered her voice and spoke quietly but vehemently of her disdain for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and described the impeachment as a total travesty.

In the next store, the man at the checkout looked quickly over his right shoulder before pointing at my sweatshirt and giving me a silent thumbs-up.

Driving home, I tried to sort it all out. Why are people afraid to express themselves with their voices at normal volume? Why the secrecy?

Maybe living in the most comfortable time in the most prosperous place in human history has made us forget about how all of this came to be. Have we forgotten the brave men and women who were willing to sacrifice everything to give us this nation? Has our comfort somehow caused us to bow to mischaracterizations and lies in order to avoid any form of confrontation? Do we lack the courage to speak truth regardless of the risk of offending others? Have we ever second-guessed saying the words Merry Christmas to a stranger? Does the fear of being falsely labeled cause us to lower our voices to a whisper?

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Hasnt the incredible courage of common men standing up to the mighty British Empire for freedoms sake afforded us the right (at the very least) to wear whatever sweatshirt we want? To have our say?

This quote from the author G. Michael Hopf has stayed with me: Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.

The late, great Ronald Reagan said it perhaps better than anyone: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didnt pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our childrens children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

So if you ever wear a Trump sweatshirt out in public and you suddenly hear someone yell from across the aisle, Hey buddy! Nice sweatshirt! that will probably be me.

God bless and merry Christmas.

Charles Stouff owns A+PC, a computer repair company in Manor Township. Hes also a former freelance cartoonist.

Read more:

A Trump sweatshirt and some thoughts on freedom - LancasterOnline

Presidential candidate Andrew Yang fields questions from the audience at a New York City gathering.

As the clock ticks and cameras glare across the stages of the democratic debates like the one held Thursday night in Los Angeles, Andrew Yang and the rest of the presidential contenders know to sacrifice policy proposal details for performative punch lines that might better resonate across Twitter. Yet without the finer explanation, voters must come to conclusions based only on a basic understanding of complex plans that might fundamentally change our country.

Away from debate stages, Mr. Yang has begun an effort to address the problem, connecting with smaller audiences to more deeply discuss his flagship policy proposal for universal basic income (UBI). His version of UBI, which he calls the Freedom Dividend, would give $1,000 a month to every American adult. On a recent Sunday night in a SoHo apartment, Mr. Yang sat casually in the center of the living room answering questions and discussing the details.

The plan, though straightforward in its most basic structure, attracts criticism for its audacity in the context of our free market mentality and the countrys already mounting debt obligations. As U.S. national debt crosses the $23 trillion mark, skeptics particularly question the plans cost, which Mr. Yang acknowledges could exceed $2.8 trillion in the first year of its implementation.

While Mr. Yang has struggled to widely project his responses to criticisms partially thanks to the lack of speaking time hes had in front of national debate stage cameras, his argument in defense of the plan also consists of historical context, economic theory and even biological thinking that feels best fitted for a TED Talks stage. With these kinds of mini, TED-like gatherings, it seems Mr. Yang is hoping that people who think about the plan more deeply might have more impassioned conversations that make their way to Mondays water coolers and beyond.

With the room to discuss the dividends more nuanced details, Mr. Yang framed the costs and effects in ways even some loyalist attendees may not have heard. But first, and true to the point of his MATH button adorning his blue blazer lapel, Mr. Yang spent much of the early part of the evening making the room think about the numbers, citing specific, dollar-for-dollar revenues that he argued would offset the dividends costs, including the institution of a 10% value-added tax (VAT).

Still, some economists, though not present at the event, have consistently argued that Mr. Yangs math doesnt add up. Andy Laperriere, head of policy research at market research and investment firm Cornerstone Macro, suggests that while the dividend could theoretically provide some benefit to the broad economy given the risks facing the labor market amid exponential automation, the plan couldnt gain its footing because of its sheer cost of implementation.

Theres a basic logic problem here thats hard to overcome given UBI requires such an enormous amount of money, Mr. Laperriere says. Even if you accept as fact that were spending $1 trillion on things like health care and homelessness and that we could recoup $1 trillion from the VAT, that still doesnt come close to raising the money.

Economists like Mr. Laperriere also often raise the issue of a VAT diminishing the intended benefit of the UBI, since consumers would effectively need to use those new dollars to pay that new cost of consumption. Since a VAT taxes the production of goods and services, companies could subsequently increase the price of those goods and services, thereby at least partially passing the tax on to the consumer.

To some extent, paying for UBI with a VAT just means were putting money in one pocket that comes out of the other, Mr. Laperriere said. And if youre exempting some consumer staples from tax, then the tax would just have to be higher elsewhere.

At the event, Mr. Yang acknowledged the possibility of companies passing along the tax, but argued that the extra costs would not come close to canceling out the UBI. Mr. Yang and others also pointed to the more indirect ways in which UBI could pay for itself by eliminating other government costs. Congressional candidates Chivona Renee Newsome and James Felton Keith both argued that while means-based benefit programs like welfare emphasize the neediness of Americans, UBI instead reflects inherent deservedness, which sheds stigma and can convert government dependency into personal motivation.

Its not a handout and everyone gets it, Ms. Newsome said. That takes the shame out of poverty.

That paradigm shift, along with the fact that recipients cant stack UBI on top of existing benefits, could theoretically pull people away from current welfare programs that cost roughly $550 billion annually.

Beyond these secondary revenue sources, Mr. Yang explored the intangible effects on families that he believes best support the cost of the plan, suggesting that Americans happiness and overall mindset matter most to the economic outcome. In fact, Mr. Yang explained the Freedom Dividend found its name not just from polling well for its flag-waving charm, but for what the dividend is actually intended to provide: A sense of freedom from the burden of financial hardship. This more nuanced thinking about the interconnectedness of mental health and personal finances seemed revelatory even to some of the more obvious supporters in the audience.

Our human mind is programmed for scarcity, Mr. Yang said. While Americans are the unhappiest theyve ever been, creating a sense of abundance can create secondary effects that economists overlook when considering how to pay for the policy.

With 40% of American families unable to cover a $400 unexpected expense, Mr. Yang suggested such financial pressure can hurt close personal relationships and breed decisions that drive families deeper into distress, issues that contribute to happiness in the U.S. reaching its lowest level ever. This breathing room from financial burden and a sense of basic financial security allows families a better opportunity to reduce anxiety and increase happiness, which in turn yields better financial decisions, and so on in a virtuous cycle.

Something like the freedom dividend can be profound to the lived experience, Mr. Yang said.

While economic theory suggests supplemental income could incentivize some to work less, Mr. Yang believes the sense of relief among most families would inevitably benefit the broader economy. As people feel more secure and optimistic of the future, theyre more likely to consume appropriately and to find better-matched jobs, an important factor to productivity that economists and other candidates federal jobs guarantee plan overlook.

There is something to that part of the argument, Mr. Laperriere says. When I graduated college and I wanted to work on Capitol Hill where I knew Id make no money, I went home to work at a restaurant first. With the safety net of some money in my pocket, I was more willing and equipped to take the risk.

While its clear some economists and Mr. Yang might disagree on the math when it comes to budgetary building blocks like the VAT, the detailed thinking around UBIs more theoretical benefits seemed to strike a chord with attendees who left with enthusiasm to continue the conversation.

As Mr. Yang continues along the campaign trail, voters will need to decide whether theyre willing to take the expensive leap of faith toward a solution that might improve Americans mental health, families financial well-being and our economy amid technological disruption. And whether or not Mr. Yang can convince enough of the electorate, he seems willing to not only explore the math, but the details beyond the numbers that might matter most.

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To Pay For The Freedom Dividend, Andrew Yang Says Our Mental State Matters To The Math - Forbes

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ThursdayDec26,2019at1:37PMDec26,2019at2:38PM

A 44-year-old Freedom Township man allegedly drove his motorcycle more than 100 miles an hour on Monday for about six minutes before he was arrested, according to the Hiram Police Department.

On Monday,Trenton M. Milano, 44, of 9170 Asbury Road, allegedly led an officer from Hiram Township into Geauga County. Hiram Police Chief Brian Gregory said Milano was going at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour and weaving in and out of traffic on Route 422 while on a motorcycle.

The Hiram officer tried to stop Milano for going left of center around 5:15 p.m., Gregory said, while both the officer and Milano were on Route 700 northbound. Shortly after the pursuit began, Gregory said, excessive speeds made it unsafe and it was called off. Milano turned onto Route 422 and the officer turned around, Gregory said.

While heading back toward the police department, the officer spotted Milano in a parking lot. Milano hit the officers patrol car, causing minor damage, and was arrested at 5:26 p.m.

Milano was charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony, obstructing official business, a fifth-degree felony, resisting arrest, a second-degree misdemeanor, and having an open container, a minor misdemeanor.

He was placed in the Portage County jail in lieu of a 10% of $10,000 bond and has pleaded not guilty.

Patrolmen with the Warren County Ohio State Highway Patrol also helped in the arrest.

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Freedom Township man arrested after excessive speeds on motorcyle - Record-Courier

The Trump administration has plumbed the depths of the English language from the presidents recent large turd obsession to an advisor who compared the demonization of carbon dioxide to the Holocaust to Ryan Zinke telling a protestor, Id like to see your child fight for energy (which weird flex but okay). Truly, these are all terrible and terribly stupid things to say.

But in the lexicon of the Trump administration, we now have the definitive word on what the worst phrase is. On Tuesday, the Plain English Foundation declared freedom gas the worst words of the year. The group bills itself as the authority in clear communication, and I have no reason to doubt this as their word choice is inspired.

The Department of Energy included that fateful phrase in a May 2019 press release about natural gas, attributing the phrase to Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes.

Increasing export capacity from the Freeport LNG project is critical to spreading freedom gas throughout the world by giving Americas allies a diverse and affordable source of clean energy, Menzes said before talking about molecules of freedom.

Honestly, molecules of freedom would be my choice for worst phrase of the year. It sounds like the name of a wretched, fascist tribute band of supergroup Atoms for Peace. But alas, Im just a humble blogger. Lets hear what Neil James, the executive director of the authority in clear communication, had this to say about their choice:

When a simple product like natural gas starts being named through partisan politics, we are entering dangerous terrain. Why cant natural gas just remain natural gas?

Too true, Neil. Too true.

This isnt even the administrations first flirtation with freedom fuels. Last year, then-Energy Secretary Rick Perry told CNBC that American fracked gas was the kind of freedom that is priceless. Mastercard, eat your heart out.

But while Trumps toilet riff is kinda funny (aside from having to think about our president taking a 15-flush dump), the attempt to rebrand natural gas as some kind of patriotic duty is an Orwellian nightmare. The U.S. has flooded the world with natural gas over the past decade or so thanks to advances in fracking. This is hardly liberating. Instead, its made the world more dependent on gas with many utilities infrastructure meant to last for decades.

Extracting and burning natural gas releases carbon dioxide and methane, a greenhouse gas thats way more potent than carbon dioxide (and which the Trump administration wants to deregulate). The more the world burns, the more it worsens the climate emergency. Again, not exactly freedom.

In fact, if were going to rebrand natural gas, how about make it unnatural gas for the world its creating. Or terror gas if we want to get a little spicier. You know, on second thought lets forget all about it and leave it in the ground.

Originally posted here:

It's Official: 'Freedom Gas' Is the Worst Phrase of the Year - Gizmodo

Jalandhar: Every year at the beginning of November, progressive writers, thinkers and activists young and old come together at the Mela Ghadari Babian Da in this Punjab city to pay homage to the revolutionaries who had laid down their lives as part of the Ghadar movement during Indias struggle for freedom.

Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

This year, the 28th Mela Ghadari Babian Da commemmorated the centennial year of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre as well. The three-day event began with the release of the Punjabi translation of Arundhati Roys latest novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by author and journalist Daljit Ami.

Members of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) addressed the gathering after Roy spoke on her book. The NFIW also released a fact-finding report from Kashmir on state brutality against minors.

Inevitably then, the mood of the three-day-long event was set. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre followed by illegal detentions by the British in Punjab were seen as a parallel to the crackdown unleashed on ordinary Kashmiris after the regions special status was revoked this August.

Also read: Excerpt | The Man Who Told the World of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre

Every year, a musical, called Ghadar da geet or A song of ghadar is presented at the festival.

The musical this year highlighted the situation in Kashmir. Young boys and girls covered their eyes with cotton patches to show the pain of pellet survivors. Posters of incarcerated human-rights activists like Sudha Bharadwaj were raised along with posters of free-thinkers like Gauri Lankesh and Narendra Dabholkar, who were murdered by Hindutva activists. A scene on mob-lynchings was presented too.

Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

The musical represented the evils that plague modern Indian society and highlighted a prominent one communalism.

Ghadar movement

Ghadar also written as Ghadr in English is an Urdu word for rebellion and the Mela Ghadari Babian Da gets its name from the Ghadar party, formed in 1913, by early Indian immigrants settled in North America. Their motive was to wage a nationwide armed struggle against British colonialism in India.

Most members of the Ghadar party came from the peasantry who first began migrating from Punjab to cities in Asia like Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore at the dawn of the 20th century. Later, with the rise in the lumber industry in Canada and the US, many moved to North America, where they thrived but also became victims of institutionalised racism.

In 1907, Asian immigrants coming to Canada were allowed in only if they had $200 with them. The racism against Indians who had the right to enter Canada as subjects of the British Empire was so pronounced that Canadian authorities eventually passed a Continuous Journey Provision, under which only those ships were permitted to Canada which arrived from their point of origin through a direct route. Since there were no direct ship routes between India and Canada at the time, it was assumed that this rule would put an end to Indians arriving at Canadas shores.

Also read: Kashmiris Should Be Given Freedom to Take Their Own Decisions: Punjab Farmers

Incessant discrimination against Indians took place, not just in Canada, but also in the US. The loss of dignity in such a manner seeded the idea of freedom and nationalism in the imaginations of working-class men and women settled in North America. They mobilised themselves against the whites. But when they started, they did so with very little or no knowledge of the English language until Lala Hardyal, a former professor of Indian Philosophy at Stanford, at the time, learnt about this.

The pioneers

After almost a decade-long fight against racism in Canada and in the US, Sohan Singh Bakhna and Pandit Kanshi Ram met Lala Hardyal in 1913 and formed the Ghadar Party a party that hoped to liberate Indians. They wanted justice but also vengeance.

The Pioneers. Photo: Ghadarmemorial.net

Together, Lala Hardyal, Pandit Kanshi Ram and Sohan Singh Bakhna, along with young rebels like Kartar Singh Saraba, based themselves in San Francisco, at 436 Hill Street, called it the Yugantar Ashram and set up a printing press to publish vernacular newspapers in Punjabi and Urdu. It was a party of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Parsis. A truly multicultural organisation that represented the nation of Indian people fighting for freedom before anything else.

A photo of the Hindustan Ghadar Party Headquarters displayed at the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall, Jalandhar. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

Hindustan Ghadar was the name given to the newspaper and a weekly compilation of poetry and songs called Ghadar ki Goonj was published too.

With this, the news of a newly-born revolutionary party spread like wildfire. An advertisement with the following lines was carried in the inaugural issue of the newspaper:

Wanted: Brave soldiers to stir up revolution in IndiaPay: DeathPrize: MartyrdomPension: LibertyField of Battle: India

Hindustan Ghadar published profiles of martyrs, anthologies of rebel leaders, the 1857 rebellion and informed the Indian diaspora about their rights and the need for equality and justice. The party grew to about a thousand members within a few months and recruitment continued.

Revolution begins

With a successful printing press, Lala Hardyal and others managed to mobilise thousands of Indians abroad. Once the Ghadar Party had recruited enough young rebels, they decided to set sail to India.

Ghadar leaders decided to take advantage of Britains weak standing during World War I. Armed with money and weapons, and with the help of German agents operating in America at the time, Ghadar leaders left for India in batches.

The British had already learnt about these developments and had started laying down precautions for a mutiny. An Ingress Into India Ordinance was passed, under which strict restrictions were imposed on all immigrants returning to India. All ships coming to Indian ports were thoroughly inspected and a large number of people were hunted down. This was the beginning of the many challenges the Ghadar Party faced.

Failure of the revolution

Even before setting foot on Indian soil, a large number of Ghadar leaders were arrested as they were imprisoned after they disembarked.

Some, who evaded arrest Kartar Singh Saraba, Pandit Kanshi Ram and G. Pingale among others gathered in Punjab to carry out the revolution. At the time, Micheal O Dwyer was the lieutenant-general of Punjab.

Also read: How a Gandhi-Led Movement Against Bhagat Singhs Death Sentence Could Have Changed Indias History

In Punjab, Ghadar leaders adopted different strategies. The British targeted them as dacoits and they were not welcomed by the native Punjabi population too. A section of the Sikhs in Punjab branded the Ghadar leaders as apostates. At the time, Sikhs were the most loyal men in the British Army and had benefited enough from these jobs.

This loyalty towards the British by their country-men was unacceptable to the Ghadar leaders. Winning over native Punjabis became imperative for the revolution.

One of the many strategies adopted by them to carry out operations within India was to bring Indian soldiers of the British Army on their side. They did this by crossing cantonments and clandestinely speaking to well-trained soldiers in the lines. The 19-year-old Kartar Singh Saraba was the most active in this operation.

Kartar Singh Saraba. Photo: CPI(ML) website

Men from various regiments in Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Peshawar agreed to revolt and bombings on Mianmir and Ferozepur cantonments were carried out subsequently. Yet, the lack of discretion in carrying out bombings in Punjab and wide rejection by native Punjabi population were constant challenges that Ghadar members faced.

The mass unrest that the bombings caused made the British-Indian government, especially Micheal ODwyer, launch an aggressive crackdown against them. ODwyer ordered the imprisonment of every Ghadar member legally or illegally.

A new law to contain the revolution was introduced the Defence of India Act of 1915 under which all revolutionary and nationalist activities were banned. People were incarcerated without trial and sent to indefinite detentions in jails built in the middle of nowhere. Fearing this, Rash Behari Bose, who was at the time given the reins of the Ghadar movement, escaped to Japan, leaving the party with no leadership.

Lala Hardyal (L) and Pandit Kanshi Ram (R). Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

The Ghadar movement inspired to transpose egalitarian values of American culture in the social framework of colonial India, notes political scientist Harish Puri who has written widely on the Ghadar movement.

Most Indians believed the commonly peddled narrative about Ghadar leaders being dacoits and apostates. So there was a lack of acceptance for this revolution in the first place. Secondly, the movement also lacked centralised leadership.

Scholars have noted that the Ghadar leaders ideology was a departure from Marxism, where one party guides the revolution. Instead, people like Lala Hardyal were inspired by Russian anarchists and their belief in spontaneous acts of bravery.

Also read: Sufi Amba Prasad, Indias Forgotten Freedom Fighter

These spontaneous acts of bravery, however, were not enough to overthrow the British Raj in India. The British took all of this as a nuisance, especially since a majority of native Indians were still on their side. Ghadar leaders were not negotiating with the British like Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak or Dadabhai Naoroji for Swaraj (self-rule) but for complete freedom.

The legacy of Ghadar

Ghadar Party of 1913 failed to achieve its motives. It was not a successful armed rebellion for more reasons than one. But the movement became a milestone in Punjabs history of the struggle for freedom. Ghadar leaders and their spontaneous acts of bravery became a part of Punjabs folklore and continue to be so even today.

The rebellion successful or not set into motion various important events that marked Indias struggle against the British. The Pagdi Sambhal Jatta movement, led by Ajit Singh was one such event. Ajit Singh was closely associated with the Ghadar Party. In 1907, his fight for the rights of peasants in Lyallpur was an outright revolt against exploitative taxation policies of the British.

The Ghadar movement had a strong impression on Bhagat Singh as well. It is a widely known fact that Kartar Singh Saraba, the youngest member of the Ghadar party who was 19 when he carried out bombings inside army cantonments had been one of the most inspiring figures for Bhagat Singh, Ajit Singhs nephew. It is also said that Bhagat Singh carried a photo of Kartar Singh Saraba in his front pocket at all times.

The Rowlatt Act and the massacre that followed at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 had a strong bearing of the Ghadar movement too. After the provisions of the Defence of India Act expired, the British feared the mushrooming of nationalist revolutionary organisations once again. This fear was the precursor for enabling the Rowlatt Act as a legislation. They didnt want Ghadar to happen once again, said Parminder Singh, a retired professor of English literature and general secretary of the Ghadar committee in Amritsar who was present at the festival.

Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

Two boys from Haryana in their 20s told The Wire that they attend the festival every year because Bhagat Singh inspires them. So we identify with the Ghadaris too, they said. The present government doesnt care about youth unemployment or about farmer distress. We are fighting for our rights like this countrys great martyrs did.

Women in Ghadar

Not much has been written about the role of women in the Ghadar movement. A huge photo gallery of martyrs at the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall in Jalandhar has photos of women rebels. The Wire spoke to Gurmeet Singh, General Secretary of the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Committee, who had also curated the photo gallery. Singh said that Bibi Gulab Kaur, Mata Jass Kaur, Madam Cama, Durga Bhabhi were prominent women members of the Ghadar movement among others.

Gulab Kaur. Photo: Sikhchic.net

Bibi Gulab Kaurs role was key to the distribution of arms and Ghadar literature. She posed as a journalist with a fake press card to carry out operations of the party and was also at the forefront of recruiting members through her fiery speeches. In his book, Ghadar Di Dhee or The Daughter of Ghadar, Kesar Singh documents Gulab Kaurs life. He notes how Gulab Kaur was inspired by the lectures of Ghadar Party members in Manila, which led her to join the movement.

Kaur was married to Mann Singh, who refused to take part in the revolution when they were in Manila. Nonetheless, Kaur went ahead with her mission and boarded the ship to India with fifty other Ghadar leaders. She was ultimately sentenced to prison and tortured for seditious activities. She died in 1931.

The annual festival in Jalandhar is not limited to celebrating the Ghadar movement alone. It celebrates the idea of revolution.

The two reasons why we must always remember the Ghadar movement are this. First, they stood for a kind of a future which must be the future of a working-class and second, they stood for secularism. They were out and out secular people. They never tried to follow any kind of religious ideas, Parminder Singh told The Wire in a video interview.

At a time when India is witnessing the peak of right-wing politics, Mela Ghadari Babian Da stands out. It is a space where people can openly speak about the need for secularism, the need for action against human rights violations and the need for rights of working class in India.

Poster seeking justice for Tabrez Ansari. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

Indefinite detentions and illegal incarceration of revolutionaries by the British under the Defence of India Act, and subsequently under the Rowlatt Act, resonates with the detentions of dozens of Kashmiris today. The tyranny of laws that impinged on basic human dignity under the British stands in parallel to the violation of human rights in Kashmir.

Also read: A Popular Annual Mela in Jalandhar Celebrates Resistance and Diversity

Mela Ghadari Babian Da is held annually at the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall, constructed in 1959 by a Ghadar veteran, Amar Singh Sandhwan. The festival and the hall is run and managed by the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Committee. This committee was set up before partition by Ghadar leaders themselves. At the time, it was called the Desh Bhagat Parivar Sahayak Committee. Their aim was to spread the message of Ghadar, identify and help the families of Ghadar leaders who were left behind after their imprisonment.

Comrade Surinder Singh. Photo: Pawanjot Kaur

Comrade Surinder Singh, a third-generation Ghadari, is one such trustee of the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall. Speaking to The Wire, he said that his grandfather joined the Ghadar Party from Panama and arrived in India around 1934. Within a year, he was arrested in Amritsar and jailed. But later Singhs father, and later, he himself and now even his son the fourth generation spread the message of Ghadar and live by the principles of secularism, equality and liberalism.

While chatting with comrades at the Mela, one of them said that the Ghadar leher or the Ghadar wave is never spoken about in mainstream culture, yet it teaches the most relevant ideas to live by in the current political climate of India.

Our [Ghadar leaders] struggles have not been highlighted in the history of Indias struggle for freedom. Whatever Ghadar leaders documented about themselves was not circulated enough. The British tried hard that nothing about the Ghadar leaders gets documented. Later, the Indian National Congress did not want our stories to be told either. For them, Gandhijis struggle for freedom was vital and Nehruji was a prominent revolutionary, 78-year-old comrade Surinder Kaur said.

The legacy of the Ghadar movement has been an antidote to communal politics in India and will always be, added Parminder Singh.

Original post:

In Punjab, the Legacy of the Ghadar Movement Continues to Inspire the Fight for Justice - The Wire

December 26 2019, 12:01am,The Times

Complaints of hurt feelings must never trump the exercise of free speech

No one has a right not to be offended. This trenchant observation is made in The Times today by Sir Alan Moses, the outgoing chairman of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), the press regulator. He is right. There is a disturbing tendency in modern culture to treat peoples deeply held beliefs, especially but not only in religious matters, as sacrosanct. That is no part of a free society. Knowledge advances not by a process of mutual accommodation but by a willingness to subject ideas to criticism, which includes denunciation, derision and mockery.

Sir Alan may have been alluding to an Ipso ruling that was widely criticised yet was sensible. It dismissed a complaint in 2016 against Kelvin MacKenzie for a column in The Sun

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The Times view on freedom of speech: Taking Offence - The Times

Fudan University, one of China's elite centers of higher learning, has had its charter altered to remove "freedom of thought" from its values. In its place, the charter now promotes "arming the minds of teachers and students with Xi Jinping's new era of socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics." In response, students have launched a protest in the form of performances of the school song, which touts "academic independence and freedom of thought."

The change comes along with a requirement to promote "core socialist values" and to ensure the campus is "harmonious" (a Chinese bureaucratic euphemism for purging anti-government sentiment).

Similar charter changes have taken place in other Chinese universities including Nanjing University and Shaanxi Normal University.

The Xi regime's emphasis on Marxist orthodoxy in China's universities has produced some unexpected outcomes: in 2018, Marxist students joined wildcat workers' strikes in solidarity with factory workers against the bourgeois ownership class. Even after student leaders were kidnapped by security forces the students continued their protests, leading to the forced closure of Peking University's Marxist Society.

Fudan's charter change was announced by the Ministry of Education on its website late Tuesday and criticism quickly trended on social media before China's ever-vigilant online censors acted to delete posts and block discussion.

Chinese students defiant as university charter cuts 'freedom of thought' [AFP]

(via Naked Capitalism)

Last month, Propublica published a characteristically blockbuster piece on the use of "quiet rooms" in Illinois schools, especially in special ed programs: these are a euphemism for solitary confinement, and their use is so cruel and grotesque that Propublica's reporting prompted state level action to ban quiet rooms in schools and reform the policy on []

Bernie Sanders commissioned the Government Accountability Office to study the consequences of the high degree of indebtedness borne by Millennials; the GAO's report concludes that Millennials dreams are being "crushed" by debts -- primarily student loans -- which have limited their abilities to seek good employment, good housing, and to save for retirement.

Librecorps is a program based at the Rochester Institute for Technology's Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) initiative that works with UNICEF to connect students with NGOs for paid co-op placements where they build and maintain FOSS tools used by nonprofits.

So youre building a brand. Ideally, youve got a website, but thats only half the battle. As any online marketer can tell you, the real work comes in getting that site to come up in internet searches, and come up prominently. That requires a lot of groundwork and more than a little technical know-how []

Well say this about smoking: The act of asking somebody for a light is a minor bonding ritual all its own and a great chance to make a first impression. And if it takes you a while to find a bon mot, dont sweat it: Thats why they made these eye-catching throwback lighters. Theyre []

Whether youre an industry professional, IT worker or a budding entrepreneur, your worth boils down to one main thing: expertise. What you dont know can hurt you, and what you do know can only help your resume and your bottom line. Granted, it can be hard to keep your skillset up to date in []

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Students at elite Shanghai university protest the removal of "freedom of thought" from the school charter - Boing Boing

The freedom gas phrase coined by a U.S. Under Secretary of Energy earlier this year, has won the award for worst phrase from the Australian Plain English Foundation.

When a simple product like natural gas starts being named through partisan politics, we are entering dangerous terrain, the Australian Plain English Foundations Executive Director, Dr Neil James, said commenting on the award. Why cant natural gas just remain natural gas?

The simple answer to this would be that a commodity as strategic as natural gas will always be wrapped in politics and hence impossible to just remain natural gas.

The phrase appeared in a May 2019 press release from the U.S. Department of Energy announcing its approval for additional export capacity at the Freeport LNG facility in Texas.

Increasing export capacity from the Freeport LNG project is critical to spreading freedom gas throughout the world by giving Americas allies a diverse and affordable source of clean energy. Further, more exports of U.S. LNG to the world means more U.S. jobs and more domestic economic growth and cleaner air here at home and around the globe,was the full statement by Under Secretary Mark W. Menezes.

The other linguistic jewel mentioned in the Australian foundations awards was molecules of U.S. freedom, which also appeared in the same press release but was the brainchild of another official, Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winberg.

Related: The 5 Biggest Threats To Oil & Gas In 2020

Winberg said Approval of additional LNG exports from Freeport LNG furthers this Administrations commitment to promoting American energy, American jobs, and the American economy. Further, increased supplies of U.S. natural gas on the world market are critical to advancing clean energy and the energy security of our allies around the globe. With the U.S. in another year of record-setting natural gas production, I am pleased that the Department of Energy is doing what it can to promote an efficient regulatory system that allows for molecules of U.S. freedom to be exported to the world.

While the political overtones of the DoEs message are nothing unusual for any large gas exporter, although they are rarely that poetic, the clean energy reputation of natural gas is being increasingly challenged. Just recently, a couple of studies challenged the perception of gas as a clean fuel citing an actual increase in global emissions resulting from the substantial increase in gas production and use for power generation.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Why Freedom Gas Was Voted The Worst Phrase Of The Year - OilPrice.com

Im not saying looks are the most important thing for an e-bike. But when so many e-bikes offer similar top speeds, ranges, and other specs, a nice-looking design like the one offered by the Wing Freedom can help set an already good e-bike apart from the rest.

And an affordable price doesnt hurt either.

Fortunately the Wing Freedom electric bicycle offers both.

Its a comfortable, agile, and capable direct-to-consumer e-bike with a $1,298 price tag and a healthy list of features.

The company even offers free shipping and a test ride location in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.

And you certainly cant ding it in the style department.

Check out my video review of the Wing Freedom e-bike below, then keep reading for all the juicy details on this electric commuter.

The Wing Freedom is one of those e-bikes that breaks from the standard design. And while this is refreshing, Id be remiss if I didnt point out that it bears a striking resemblance to the beautiful e-bikes designed and manufactured by Dutch company Vanmoof. And while it doesnt feature as many innovations as Vanmoofs bikes, it certainly comes away with some of the same aesthetic appeal.

Unlike Vanmoof, though, the Wing Freedom didnt manage to completely hide the battery within the frame. Instead, theyve gotten most of the way there with a recessed battery that just barely sticks out of the down tube. The battery is also available in three different sizes. For those that want the lowest price and are fine with just 35 km (22 mi) of range, the 317 Wh battery will suffice. But for anyone who wants to maximize range (especially if youll be adding the optional throttle), the 500 Wh battery will get the battery specs up to industry standards.

But its not all about looks. If the bike cant perform then it doesnt matter how good the bike looks or how neatly the battery is tucked away. Fortunately for the Wing Freedom, it performs quite well. Theres really only one thing Ill knock it on, and thats the swept-back handlebar style, which to be fair is more of a personal preference thing. The handlebar feels very cruiser-ish, while the rest of the bike gives me solid commuter/hybrid vibes. Theres nothing inherently wrong with the swept-back handlebar, but I just dont find it as comfortable as a slightly straighter bar, especially when Im working hard in pedal assist mode.

But outside of my small gripe with the bar choice, everything else ticks my boxes.

Sure, there will be those that complain about the lack of suspension. And thats a fair point. But this is very much an urban-style bike that is meant for roads and bike lanes. A pothole here and there may reduce ride comfort, but at least the rigid front fork will be strong and reliable, plus more efficient for those of us that like to pedal without too much energy being wasted into bouncing front suspension.

The Bafang hub motor, which is known to be reliable, is a strong performer and gets the bike up to its top speed of 32 km/h (20 mph) quite quickly when you put the bike in top pedal assist level. I spent most of my time at a mid-level of pedal assist, which felt like a nice compromise to me. The bike kept me honest by having to provide some of my own power, but I never felt out of breath or like I was working up a sweat. I felt like I was getting a chance to perform some healthy exercise in exchange for a wind-in-my-hair pleasurable ride experience. Occasionally Id crank it up to full power and fly around like I was on a motorbike, and to even things out Id then drop it down into the lowest pedal assist for a good old-fashioned workout. But by and large I kept it right in the Goldilocks zone.

The components on the bike arent going to impress anyone on their own, but theyre perfectly acceptable for this level of e-bike. The 180 mm mechanical disc brakes and the 7-speed shifter are enough for a commuter bike and help keep the price reasonable. Sure, Id love to see hydraulic disc brakes so I dont have to worry about cable stretch or adjustments, but again, this is meant to be a simple, affordable commuter bike, not a top shelf bike. And so compromises had to be made.

But the fact that you can get an attractive design, built-in lights, an alarm, free fenders, and options for rear AND front racks all for $1,298 (and 12 month interest-free financing option) is still pretty impressive in my book. And judging from the number of commenters Ive had asking for a Wing Freedom review, Im not the only one that has found this to be an interesting addition to the e-bike market.

What do you think of the Wing Freedom? Let us know in the comments below!

[Update: Wing reached out to let me know that despite the top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) that the bike ships with, you can actually unlock another 4 to 5 mph using the display, if you wish. So now Im the doofus riding around at something less than the top speed. Oh well, at least I enjoyed the better mileage that comes with the stock speed!]

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Review: Wing Freedom e-bike wins style points and it works great, too! - Electrek

When you recruit, you have to balance filling needs with targeting top talent. Its a tough act, especially when youre rebuilding a program. But with an unforgettable first day of the early signing period for Tennessee football, Jeremy Pruitt just got the freedom to only focus on one of those things.

Yes, the excitement of the day that brought about a flip and two four-star commitments cant be ignored. UT now has a top 10 class on Rivals, something nobody probably saw coming before the day began. But whats most important is that the Vols now have a rock solid foundation underneath them in the future.

Given the state of the program right now and what Pruitt is trying to build, depth and quality players at every position were more important than anything else. Those are the two things that have plagued the Vols so far. Pruitt made sure he took care of those two things.

With all but two players not signing, both of whom are three-stars, Pruitt now has 21 guys already locked in for next year. And their versatility along with the variety of players he picked makes sure UT wont have the same depth issues heading into the future.

So what does that all mean? Well, as National Signing Day approaches, Tennessee football can focus all its energy on targeting top guys just to boost the talent of the program. That includes potentially flipping four-star defensive tackle Jay Hardy, who is from Chattanooga but committed to the Auburn Tigers and didnt sign.

It also may include targeting five-star Las Vegas tight end Darnell Washington, who at least didnt publicly sign with anybody on Wednesday. The Vols will have to fight the Georgia Bulldogs for him, but with Brian Niedermeyer, anything is possible.

There are plenty of other elite prospects they could make a run for as well that we may not even know about yet. Whats clear, though, is they dont have to focus on need. If you look at what Pruitt has done, he has filled the roster up everywhere.

Part of Pruitts class was two defensive tackles and three edge rushers. With six scholarship defensive linemen set to be on the roster beyond 2020, those two tackles make it eight, so hes really built things up there.

Meanwhile, with Darrell Taylor leaving, three new edge rushers plus Roman Harrison and Kivon Bennett really builds up the depth there. At linebacker, three four-star commitments really sets up the future of the position.

So the defensive front seven is set. Pruitt already scored big in the secondary last year, but he added two more four-stars there this year, and he has two athletes who could play the position, albeit one unsigned. Another one, Jimmy Holiday, was a flip from the TCU Horned Frogs who can play receiver or quarterback as well and runs a 4.38 40-time.

Speaking of receivers and quarterbacks, Pruitt still has Cedric Tillman and Ramel Keyton for the long-term future. But he also added two four-stars in this class, including Jimmy Calloway, who signed Wednesday despite late pushes from the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats. Add in the potential of Holiday going there, and hes restocking that area too.

Quarterback speaks for itself with four-star Harrison Bailey, giving Pruitt three guys at least on the roster beyond 2020. What about offensive line? Well, hes loaded up there the past two years, but four more linemen signed on Wednesday, and theres a fifth unsigned commit. With seven scholarship players set to be on UTs line beyond 2020, they have depth there as well.

Then theres running back. Ty Chandler, Tim Jordan and Carlin Fils-Aime will all be seniors. But one athlete signee who committed Wednesday, LenNeth Whitehead, prefers playing running back, and hes a power back at 62 232 pounds. Maryville signee Tee Hodge is another power back, and Jabari Small is an all-purpose back.

Combine those three with freshman Eric Gray, and Tennessee football is set to have two power backs and two all-purpose backs beyond 2020. Thats a big deal for Pruitt and shows just how much he has built up the depth.

Oh, and the versatility of so many players helps as well. Just the five signees from Wednesday cover all the positions on the field. Thats why the early signing period was such a win for Rocky Top. Now, being able to focus just on getting top guys will be a huge boost.

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Written by Faizan Mustafa | Updated: December 21, 2019 9:57:32 am Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Among the three countries from where certain categories of migrants have become eligible for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act, Bangladesh is significant. A look at the laws under which Bangladesh grants citizenship, and what its Constitution says on freedom of religion:

The Bangladesh Constitution, adopted by the Constituent Assembly on December 4, 1972, refers to its war of liberation as historic war and establishes the independent sovereign Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.

The original preamble mentioned Nationalism, Democracy, Socialism and Secularism as fundamental principles. Unlike Indias Constitution, the Bangladesh Constitutions commitment to socialism is explicitly mentioned. The preamble says the fundamental aim of the state is to realise through democratic process socialist society free from exploitation a society in which rule of law, fundamental human rights and freedoms, equality and justice, political, economic and social will be secured to all citizens. The expression rule of law is not used in the Indian Constitution.

In 1977, the military dictator Ziaur Rahman removed the term secular from the Constitution. In 1988, President Hussain Muhammad Ershad got Article 2A inserted, which says the state religion of the republic is Islam but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony. The amendment was struck down by the Bangladesh High Court in 2005 and the Supreme Court in 2010. The SC said that in spite of Islam being the state religion, the Constitution remains secular. It observed that the preamble and the relevant provision of the Constitution in respect of secularism, nationalism and socialism as existed on August 15, 1975 (Mujibur Rahman was assassinated on this day) will revive. On June 30, 2011, the Constitution was amended and the term secular reinserted. The amendment also removed the expression absolute faith and trust in Allah from the preamble but retained, above the preamble, the expression in the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful that had been added in 1997. To accommodate other religions, it also mentions in the name of our Creator, the merciful.

Explained: How Pakistan grants citizenship, and what provisions cover its minorities

While Islam is the state religion, other religions have been given equal status and equal rights by the Constitution and their followers have been given an equal right to freely practise their religions. This seems to be a contradiction as it is not in line with classical secular formulation.

Article 8(1) of the Bangladesh Constitution mentions secularism along with nationalism, democracy and socialism as the fundamental principles of state policy. Article 12 was revived by the 15th Amendment and in a way this, unlike the Indian Constitution, explains the essential ingredients of secularism and how it will be achieved. It says the principles of secularism shall be realised by elimination of communalism in all forms, granting of political status in favour of any religion, abuse of religion for political purposes and any discrimination against, or persecution of, persons practising a particular religion. With such a progressive provision, the charge of religious persecution has no legs to stand on as far as the text of the Constitution is concerned, just because Islam is the state religion.

Unlike Pakistans Constitution, there is no Muslim qualification required for the office of President or other constitutional offices.

Article 41 of the Bangladesh Constitution says every citizen subject to public order and morality has the right to profess, practice or propagate any religion. In India, Article 25 guarantees religious freedom in a narrower sense in addition to public order and morality, it is also subject to health and other fundamental rights, and the state can also restrict freedom of religion in respect of any economic, financial, political or other secular activity associated with religious practices, and can also do so in the name of social reforms. But in another sense, Indias religious freedom is broader as it is not confined to just citizens.

Editorial | New citizenship law is taking a toll on ties with Dhaka

Like Indias Article 26, Bangladeshs Article 41(b) gives every religious community or denomination the right to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions. Like Indias Article 28, Article 41(c) in Bangladesh lays down that no person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive religious instruction or take part in or to attend any religious ceremony or worship, if that relates to a religion other than his own. The difference is that while India does not permit any religious instruction in any institution that is maintained out of state funds or is recognised by the government, Bangladesh permits religious instruction but only of ones own religion.

Article 28(1) is a replica of Indias Article 15 and prohibits the state from discriminating against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. This includes admission to any educational institution. Indias Article 15 does not mention educational institutions and gives right of access only in respect of places maintained wholly or partly out of state funds or dedicated to the use of the general public. The Bangladesh Constitution prohibits all discrimination based on religion, which weakens the argument of religious persecution there.

Article 6 of the Constitution says citizenship in Bangladesh shall be regulated by law and people shall be known as Bengalees as a nation. On December 15, 1972, a Presidential Order, Bangladesh Citizenship (Temporary Provisions), conferred citizenship from March 26, 1971 on anyone who, or whose father or grandfather, was born in the territories then comprising Bangladesh and who was a permanent resident on March 25, 1971 and continued to be a resident of Bangladesh. Any person who, for studies or employment, was in territories within a country at war or engaged in military operation (Pakistan), and was being prevented from returning to Bangladesh, would also be citizen.

The Bangladesh government, like Pakistan, may grant citizenship to a person who is citizen of Europe, North America or Australia or any other state. But knowledge of Bangla would be necessary. Foreign women married to Bangla men can also get citizenship after two years residence. Irrespective of place of birth, if ones parents are Bangladeshi, citizenship would be given. In 2017, it was provided that anyone who invests $150,000 can get citizenship.

Read | Bangladesh ministers cancel visit to India

Many Urdu-speaking people who had supported Pakistan in the war became stateless with the creation of Bangladesh as the law did not give citizenship to those who sided with the enemy country. There were some 10 lakh such people in 1972. Under an agreement among India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, 1,780,969 were repatriated to Pakistan, followed by about 1 lakh more subsequently, but 2.5 lakh remained. In 2008, the Supreme Court in M Sadakat Khan reaffirmed the citizenship of all Urdu-speaking citizens. The 1951 Citizenship Act of Pakistan also remained in force. In 2016, a draft citizenship law was prepared that gave dual citizenship but was criticised for other provisions like termination of citizenship.The author is an expert inconstitutional law and Vice Chancellor, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.

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Explained: Reading Bangladesh provisions for citizenship and freedom of religion - The Indian Express

Businessman Andrew Yang gave a shoutout to fellow 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates U.S. Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., who dropped out of the presidential race, and Cory Booker D-N.J., who failed to qualify, during the Democratic debate in Los Angeles on Thursday.

It is both an honor and disappointment to be the lone candidate of color on the stage tonight, Yang said.

And although Yang mentioned Harris and Booker, social media users were quick to note that he did not mention Julian Castro, who, like Booker, also failed to qualify for the debate but remains a candidate.

Citing statistics on economic disparities in black and Latino communities, Yang argued that a reason candidates of color were struggling to stay in the race is a lack of disposable income among voters. If people had more disposable income, he argued, then they could contribute more to the campaigns of candidates of color.

I guarantee if we had a freedom dividend of $1000 a month, I would not be the only candidate of color on the stage tonight, he said.

Who's who?An interactive guide to the 2020 presidential candidates

Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked to follow-up on a question about lack of diversity on the debate stage, but said he wanted to talk about climate change instead.

Senator, with all due respect, this question is about race. Can you answer the question that was asked? moderator Amna Nawaz said.

Sanders said he believes climate change will hit people of color the hardest and their communities should be represented in policy discussions including on the debate stage.

We need an economy that focuses on the needs of oppressed, exploited people, and that is the African American community, he said.

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/12/19/yang-if-we-had-freedom-dividend-wed-have-more-candidates-color/2706135001/

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Andrew Yang: 'If we had a freedom dividend, I would not be the only candidate of color on the stage' - USA TODAY

December 16 2019, 12:01am,The Times

Edward Lucas

Devices that cant be hacked or traced are precious to those who live under repressive regimes

Thirty years ago this week I was an unwilling guest of the Securitate, the Romanian secret police. My interrogators wore ill-fitting brown suits, smelt bad and behaved worse. I freely admitted that I had entered the country illegally but for good reason: to report the imminent downfall of their regime. Instead of deporting me, I suggested, it would be prudent to switch sides: I could guarantee that their actions would be front-page news. They scoffed. I told them to turn on the shortwave radio they had confiscated. The BBC and other foreign stations were already broadcasting details of the mushrooming uprising against the Ceausescu dictatorship.

I was right: the regime would fall within days. But Romanian secret policemen had little practice in exercising initiative. They

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My shortwave radio still speaks of freedom | Comment - The Times