Daily Archives: May 12, 2023

With access to knowledge under assault across the country, the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department and the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism struck a blow for the freedom to read whatever you like.

Last week, the departments hosted two banned book giveaways as part of theFreedom to LearnNational Day of Action. On May 3, 2023, FGSS and Shapiro Center gave away almost 100 banned books to students, staff, and faculty.

These actions by FGSS and the Shapiro Center engage the university in a nationwide day of resistance against the banning of books that tell truths about gender, sexuality, and race, said Victoria Pitts-Taylor, professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, who organized the event with Merve Emre, director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism.

The books included George M. Johnsons queer of color memoir-manifesto All Boys Arent Blue,Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me,Angie Thomas The Hate U Give,Just Mercy: a Story of Justice and Redemption,and titles by Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde and Zora Neale Hurston. FGSS also gave away copies of the graphic memoir Gender Queer, at the top of the list of most banned books in the U.S. for the past several years.

Emre said students responded to the book distribution event with enthusiasm and profound concern. We didnt want to give the books away without a discussion of why each one had been banned, which meant we spent almost an hour analyzing the dishonest rationales of conservative school boards and governorsthe way they code, for instance, writing about both systemic racism and liberatory queerness as inappropriate, Emre said.

National Day of Action was created by the National Womens Studies Association, the African American Policy Forum, civil rights organizations, and other groups to collectively resist actions restricting free speech and education related to racial justice and gender and sexual freedom.

Legislators in states across the nation are weaponizing education. They are not only banning books, but interfering in AP courses, preventing the teaching of African American history and gender studies, and censoring speech. The broader aim of these attacks is to quell movements for racial justice and to reverse the political gains made in recent years by gay, trans and other queer people. These attacks on learning undermine not only education, but democracy, Pitts-Taylor said.

(The attacks are), perversely perhaps, a testament to the power of literaturethat people are afraid of it and what readers can do with words, Emre said.

At Usdan University Center and at the Shapiro Center, students huddled around tables, selecting copies of books that would almost assuredly be removed from Florida schools. Chris Hadley 24 was pushing out as many books as possible in Usdan during the lunch time rush. With books, like the ones being given away, being challenged across the country, Hadley felt what they were doing was vital.

I think the fact that books are being banned is a huge red flag for the way that we think about marginalized people, and about how other people are allowed to conceptualize them. (Because of the bans) they dont have access to their own stories. The books that were giving out are all about liberation, Hadley said.

Hadley had already read most of these books being offered. One of the books had a personal meaning. My mom actually gave me Gender Queer because she heard that it was banned. It was her trying to say, I see you trans kid, heres a book about you. That was really sweet, Hadley said.

For Pitts-Taylor, it was the writing of Alice Walker and Audre Lorde that changed her life as a student. Sister Outsider,a collection of essays by Audre Lorde, shaped my thinking about oppression and social justice when I was still in high school, Pitts-Taylor said.

The banned book distribution day was an act of defianceand of affection for the written word. I love books. I just shoved books in peoples faces. Im excited so many people who came to the table. Im thrilled to see people walking away with the book in their hands. Whether or not they read them, maybe that books going to be borrowed by someone else. Were just spreading them as quickly as we can, Hadley said.

Writers and scholars have the same obligation we always haveto keep teaching, keep talking, keeping getting books in the hands of those who might not otherwise have access to them, Emre said.

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Banned Books Distributed on Freedom to Learn Day - Wesleyan University

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ANNVILLE, Pa. (May 10, 2022) Senior Meg Halloran and sophomore Madison Subbiondo of the Stevens Institute of Technology softball team were named First Team All-MAC Freedom to lead the Ducks' all-conference selections, the league office announced Wednesday.

Junior Jessica Guerrero was named to the league's Second Team. Graduate student Siobhan Cottell and senior Olivia Warner each received an honorable mention to round out the Ducks' all-conference recognition.

DeSales' Kylie Bryant was named the league's Player of the Year, while Lycoming's Kylie Russell was tabbed the top pitcher. Misericordia's Gianna Foreman was chosen as the Rookie of the Year, with Lycoming coach Melissa Montoro earning Coach of the Year honors to round out the individual awards.

Halloran was named to the first team for the third straight season, earning her fourth career all-conference selection after leading the Ducks, and ranking second in the MAC Freedom, with a .468 batting average. She ranked first in the conference in hits with 58. The Oakland, New Jersey product set the program record in career hits with 199, breaking the previous record of 198 set by Gavriella (Risman-Jones) Everett 16'. She went a perfect 25 for 25 on stolen bases this season, another career record she owns as she has tallied 80 during her time at Stevens. Halloran hit her first two career home runs in a game against Delaware Valley on April 26.

Subbiondo collected her first career postseason honor, making the first team as a utility player. She started 24 games on the season, 13 of which came in right field, eight at catcher, and three as a designated player. She posted a .438 batting average which was second on the team behind Halloran and fourth in the conference. She also led the Ducks in home runs as she tallied four on the year. The sophomore had 20 putouts on 20 chances at catcher for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. She went six for eight in right field with a .750 fielding percentage.

Guerrero earned the second team nod as an infielder. This marked her first second team award and her second career postseason award. The junior was a staple in the Ducks lineup this season as she hit .372 to finish third on the team and 12th in the conference. She recorded 45 hits on the campaign which saw her finish 8th in the conference. Not only was she productive at the plate, she was also a menace in the infield, doing most of her work at shortstop. The Arcadia, California native led the MAC Freedom in assists as she had 89 for the season, seven more than second place. Also playing a few games at catcher, she caught three players stealing.

Cottell and Warner received an honorable mention from the league office after combining for 67 hits and two homers and 18 RBI on the year. Warner tallied a team high 35 RBI on 40 hits. Cottell ranked second in the conference in putouts as she tallied 272 on the season with a .989 fielding percentage.

The All-MAC Freedom Softball Team is nominated and voted on by the nine conference softball coaches.

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Softball Lands Five on All-MAC Freedom Teams - Stevens Institute ... - Stevens Institute of Technology

Springfield, IL-(Effingham Radio)-The IL Freedom Caucus is issuing the following statement on the official end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration in Illinois.

Today marks the end of the COVID-19 emergency declaration and it is important we learn from the mistakes made during this unpleasant chapter of our states history. The bizarre decision to shut down our economy ruined lives, closed businesses, and created countless problems we may never solve. The lockdowns did irreparable harm to kids that we are only just now beginning to fully understand.

Our leaders in Illinois made one wrong decision after another. Instead of acknowledging the mistakes, they chose to continue implementing their failed policies. Other states like Florida took steps to protect the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions. Our leaders decided to focus on locking down healthy individuals resulting in COVID-19 spreading in nursing homes and veterans dying in places like the La Salle Veterans Home. Governor Pritzker and his Administration failed our state, and he does not even have the decency to apologize for the lives his policies ruined. We need to ensure we never do to our state what the Pritzker Administration did to us during the pandemic. Today is a good day but it also should remind us of what not to do in the future.

The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Chris Miller (R-Oakland), chairman; Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City), vice-chairman; Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur); Jed Davis (R-Newark) and David Friess (R-Red Bud). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.

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IL Freedom Caucus Statement on the End of the COVID-19 ... - Samantha Laturno

Press freedom and media innovation in the age of AI is the focus of the 2023 IPI World Congress, 25-26 May in Vienna

Leading journalists, editors and publishers from over 80 countries and six continents, in person and online, will gather at the International Press Institutes (IPI) World Congress and Media Innovation Festival 2023, taking place in Viennas MuseumsQuartier, from 25 26 May, to explore the rapidly evolving global and technological landscape for independent journalism.

Participants will discuss press freedom and media innovation in the age of AI, drawing on the solid foundations of the past to secure the future of news media.

The panelists will look at how AI and other new technologies are reshaping newsrooms. They will discuss sustainable business models for journalism, the risks and opportunities of AI, the fight against dis- and misinformation, threats to press freedom around the world and trends in audio and video journalism.

Media representatives are invited to attend:

The detailed programme can be found here as well as the list of speakers attending. Press opportunities, statements or interviews can be arranged on request.

To register to attend the opening, the award ceremony or to express your interest in an interview with a specific participant please send an email to mcausevicpodzic@ipi.media, or call at +43 676 385 7019.

Follow the Congress online via #IPIWoCo.

The International Press Institute (IPI) today raises alarm over the controversial fine imp

Leading journalists, editors and publishers from over 80 countries and six continents, in

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Press freedom and media innovation in the age of AI is the focus of ... - International Press Institute

Independent journalism faces deepening crisis

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Serbia, 15 December 2020. EPA-EFE/ANDREJ CUKIC

The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins the undersigned press freedom and journalist organisations in noting with deepening concern the latest report of the European Parliament regarding the climate for media freedom in Serbia.

On May 10, the European Parliament adopted its 2022 report on Serbia, which responds to the European Commissions October 2022 findings about the lack of progress made by the country as part of its commitments for accession to the bloc.

The findings of the European Parliament and Rapporteur Vladimr Bilk are damning and record that no progress has been made in the past year across all 33 negotiations chapters, including the freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

These findings firmly underscore our own concerns about the crisis facing independent journalism and media freedom in Serbia. This is further reflected in the recently published 2023 World Press Freedom Index, in which Serbia dropped 12 places to 91.

We also note the recent statement published by multiple international press freedom organisations, including IPI, during a recent trip to Belgrade, which highlighted that in spite of positive developments, no overall tangible progress has been made on media freedom.

Serbia: Independent journalism faces biggest crisis in years

The European Parliament report finds that activists, journalists and media outlets face pressure, intimidation, harassment, hate speech and attacks in Serbia. Meanwhile, the wider media market is distorted by a lack of transparency of media ownership and state financing. The report also urges the government to ensure the independence of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM).

Furthermore, the report makes clear that Serbia has become a hub for pro-Russian disinformation and anti-EU rhetoric since Russias invasion of Ukraine. The report states this is the result of long-standing anti-EU/pro-Russian political rhetoric widely spread via government-controlled media as well as by government officials. The report condemns the opening of Russia Today in Belgrade last year and describes Serbia as a safe haven for Russian media companies promoting pro-government propaganda.

We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the findings of the 2022 European Parliament Report regarding media freedom and freedom of expression. Free media and, by extension, functioning democracy are in growing danger in Serbia. We welcome the strong wording from the European Parliament but believe more must be done to ensure the rights and freedoms of Serbian journalists and media are protected. We call on European institutions to make clear that if the media freedom situation continues to deteriorate, Serbia risks losing access to pre-accession funding.

As a candidate country, Serbia must adhere to the EUs principles and policies. At present, democracy and the rule of law are under threat. A free media is vital to upholding these fundamental rights. We must ensure it is protected.

Signed:

Balkan Free Media Initiative

Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (NUNS)

International Press Institute (IPI)

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Serbia: Growing concern in Europe over media freedom and pluralism - International Press Institute

Since the movies are based on name brands gaining popularity, many steps have been made to apply the same methods in the cinema industry. For example, when the subject was a movie called "Tetris," there were probably only two options: This might have been an animation about the adventure of living blocks in a typical Heros Journey pattern, similar to "The Lego Movie" (2014) or "The Emoji Movie" (2017).

However, it turns out that the second option must have been more reasonable for producers as a more classic formula: a biography film focuses on the games backstory. Furthermore, due to the abundance of materials, it had the potential to be more than a regular business movie based on a true story. Assertive distributors were involved in conspiracies, industrial espionage, and sabotage under the Iron Curtain. A cultural phenomenon was about to spiral upward in the middle.

As a threshold matter, the film introduces Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton), a strong-minded game publisher, and shows us his first encounter with Tetris at the Consumer Electronic Show in 1988.

After he falls in love with the game at first sight, Rogers attempts to secure the rights to "Tetris" and gets into deep water without a doubt. Although Taron Egerton seems to play the starring role, his character Henk Rogers is not the only protagonist in the storyline.

Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov), the inventor of "Tetris" and a programmer at the Soviet Computer Science Center, also has a major role in the chain of events. At first, he codes the prototype of his game with the intention of entertainment; then, it goes from strength to strength around the office workers in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Despite this considerable popularity, the lack of intellectual property rights inhibits Pajitnov from reaping the rewards of his success. Worse still, he has to face threats from government officials, charged with treason unfairly like his father.

As emphasized in the film, in a conflict of interests where everyone tries to get a slice of the cake, Alexey is the only person without benefit from this situation. Moreover, none of the competitors pay tribute to his work except Henk. In the process, Rogers cast his lot in with Pajitnov over their shared passion for the game. However, besides this friendship, some formidable adversaries conspire against him and put a spanner in the works.

Although the Soviet Union is on the brink of collapse, former alliances are resuming between global companies and corrupted authorities. While Henk negotiates with commissioners from ELORG, he gets into difficulties as an American foreigner in Moscow under the communist regime. Even so, Henk fraternizes with a liberal group through Alexey, giving him a new perspective on Russian citizens.

Although new editions in battle royal format have been made later, the original version of "Tetris" was never about competition in the first place. The sole purpose was to arrange the falling blocks with different shapes and colors in a row. Howsoever simple it may seem, this essential combination of math and art gives excellent pleasure to minds and directs players attention to the flow state.

Contrary to the relaxing nature of this game, the "Tetris" movie takes a different tack and focuses on worldwide competition as another type of strategy game. There is a battle of bureaucracy on various front lines of video game rights, arcade rights, and handheld console rights to Tetris. Furthermore, the bone of contention does not only affect individual entrepreneurs or software companies.

The challenge between Nintendo and Atari, legendary console brands, takes place as a side note in the film. Especially Nintendo has a crucial role in striking a deal with Henk Rogers and publishing "Tetris" through their factory-fresh product, Game Boy.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi Yamauchi, Minoru Arakawa, and Howard Lincoln make the scene as the CEO and chairperson of Nintendo, but representations of historical figures are not limited to this. For example, near Soviet Russia, Nicolai Belikov plays a vital role as the vice president of Elorg (Elektronorgtechnica), and Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union, appears in the film.

Additionally, well-known business people such as Robert Maxwell, a British media proprietor, and Robert Stein, the first video game distributor who discovered Tetris, are involved in this rivalry as opponents of Rogers and Pajitnov.

As a period drama, characters, settings and events based on reality perform well. Besides, the 8-Bit graphic art utilization as a visual narrative technical and nostalgic tracks in the synth-wave style significantly contributes to the retro atmosphere.

Much as the cloak-and-dagger parts and that exhilarating car-chase sequence are composed of fiction, these factors can give thrilling vibes in a plot about commercial disputes more than expected.

Apart from this rat race, a struggle for freedom becomes the heart of the matter. It is possible to witness a shared vision, a dream of independence, in the final stages of the Cold War.

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Review: Tetris is rat race for perfect game with promise of freedom | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

A deep-pocketed nonprofit organization founded by the conservative activist Leonard A. Leo gave away $182.7 million in a years time,a new tax filing shows, demonstrating how aggressively it has worked behind the scenes to prop up other groups and causes on the right.

The organization, Marble Freedom Trust, was formed in 2020 and was funded by a gift of more than $1.6 billion an extraordinary windfall that resulted from a single donors contribution of 100 percent of a companys shares before the company was sold, leaving Marble with the proceeds of the sale, The New York Times reported last year.

Mr. Leo, a lawyer and former executive at the Federalist Society, has been instrumental in conservatives yearslong effort to push the federal judiciary to the right, both through his direct guidance to Republican leaders and by financing conservative causes. In recent years, he has built an opaque, far-reaching network of organizations many of which have funding sources that are not required to be disclosed that can influence elections and other matters, including education policy, abortion and campus free speech issues.

In a statement responding to questions about Marbles work, Mr. Leo described it as an attempt to match Democratic efforts in the world of so-called dark money,a term used to describe the vast flow of funds often from untraceable donors through nonprofits and other organizations into politics and political causes.Democrats raised and spent more dark money for the 2020 election than Republicans did.

Its high time for the conservative movement to be among the ranks of George Soros, Hansjrg Wyss, Arabella Advisors and other left-wing philanthropists, going toe-to-toe in the fight to defend our Constitution and its ideals, Mr. Leo said.

(Mr. Wyss, a Swiss billionaire, is a major donor to left-leaning nonprofit groups; Arabella Advisors is a for-profit consulting group that administers a network of progressive nonprofit organizations that together spent nearly $1.2 billion in 2020.)

Marble Freedom Trust, a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, is a centerpiece of Mr. Leos network. The groups stated mission is to maintain and expand human freedom consistent with the values and ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

It was not immediately clear from the groups record of contributions how Marble was realizing that mission. The recent filing for Marble a tax record for the year ending on April 30, 2022, that was obtained by the liberal transparency group Accountable.US does not reveal much about the ultimate destination of the $182.7 million.

In the year ending last April, according to the filing, Marble gave $153.8 million to the Schwab Charitable Fund, a manager of donor-advised funds, which allow people and entities to direct their deposits over time into charitable organizations, including some politically inclined groups and institutions.

Another $28.9 million went to the Concord Fund, a conservative advocacy organization. Formerly known as the Judicial Crisis Network, the group has acted as a funding hub in the past, giving tens of millions of dollars in grants to allied nonprofit groups and supporting in-house projects, including opposition to Democrats attempts to expand voting access.

From those two organizations, it is impossible to directly trace where the Marble money went.

During that approximate time period, according to Schwabs tax filings, Schwab gave $141.5 million to another group linked to Mr. Leo, the 85 Fund a nonprofit organization that says its mission is to educate the public and support activities that highlight the relationship between structural limits on government power and the protection of our dignity and our freedom.

The 85 Fund backs the Honest Elections Project, a conservative group founded in 2020 that has worked in states across the country to restrict voting access.

Some of the money that flows through Mr. Leos network of nonprofit groups goes to for-profit companies he controls. In 2021, the 85 Fund paid $21.75 million to CRC Advisors, a consulting firm run by Mr. Leo, according to the 85 Funds tax filings.

Several other entities in Mr. Leos network, including the Concord Fund, have also paid CRC Advisors millions of dollars in the last two years, tax records show.

Marble Freedom Trust is Leonard Leos billion-dollar slush fund to erode democracy, said Kyle Herrig, the president of Accountable.US. With all this money under his control, Leo can push his extreme agenda by influencing conservative lawmakers on Capitol Hill, deploying state attorneys general to do his bidding and moving extreme bills in state legislatures.

In a statement, Mr. Leo said that CRC Advisors employs nearly 100 best-in-class professionals whose expertise goes across all aspects of public affairs, and we deliver results that are leading the conservative movement to win more than it has ever before.

Marbles grants last year declined slightly from the previous year, when the group reported nearly $229 million in grants, including to Concord and the 85 Fund.

Since the $1.6 billion windfall which came from Barre Seid, an electronics manufacturing mogul Marble has received no contributions or grants, but it did report $26.6 million in investment income last year. As of about a year ago, Marble still had $1.2 billion to spend.

Marbles tax filing also shows that Mr. Leos salary for his part-time role at the company increased to $400,000 from $350,000.

Mr. Leos work, and his longtime relationship with Justice Clarence Thomas, have come under new scrutiny recently. The Washington Post reported last week that Mr. Leo had arranged for Justice Thomass wife, the conservative activist Ginni Thomas, to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work, and had urged to keep her name off the paperwork.

In a statement, Mr. Leo said the payment did not present a conflict of interest with the court. It is no secret that Ginni Thomas has a long history of working on issues within the conservative movement, he said. The work she did here did not involve anything connected with either the courts business or with other legal issues.

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Group Tied to Influential Conservative Activist Spent $183 Million in ... - The New York Times

Travel

A cyclist who circumnavigated the globe says Scotland takes some beating because of its access-all-areas freedom

Thu 11 May 2023 02.00 EDT

Its not just the rolling hills or rugged coastline that make Scotland a haven for bikepacking, says round-the-world cyclist Markus Stitz. Its the access rights which let you explore it all.

Bikepacking is an evolution of cycle touring which involves heading out on a multi-day ride with everything youll need to spend the night strapped to your bike. Scotlands access rights, which turn 20 this year, make wild camping legal and so bikepacking has boomed.

Few know Scotlands B-roads and forest tracks better than Stitz, who after becoming the first person to circumnavigate the globe on a single-speed bike in 2016 returned to his long-term home in Edinburgh to found Bikepacking Scotland. Its all about freedom and adventure, he says.

In his new book Bikepacking Scotland, Stitz maps out 20 wild adventures. Here he chooses five of the best bikepacking routes in Scotland.

This 81.6-mile loop in the south-west of Scotland runs through the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Unesco Biosphere. Ayrshire is green rolling hills, says Stitz. Its a very different landscape from some of the more remote, rugged, intimidating landscapes in Scotland.

Starting and finishing at Ayr railway station (about an hours train ride from Glasgow), the route follows a backroad to Alloway, the birthplace of Robert Burns, then takes to the hills and moorland before returning via the west coast. There are far-reaching views out over the Atlantic, including to Ailsa Craig, a sanctuary for seabirds, and the Mull of Kintyre. The trail also passes Culzean Castle, Robert Adams 18th-century masterpiece, which is dramatically perched on a cliff edge, and the coastal village of Dunure, featured in Outlander, before reaching Ayr.

This route is as much about the people as the riding, he adds. Its a very genuine place, with a lot of excellent cafes, and some parts are mind-blowingly beautiful. To extend the route, just head farther south to Galloway Forest Park for hundreds of kilometres of gravel trails.

The John Muir Way runs 134 miles coast to coast across central Scotland, from Helensburgh on the west coast to Dunbar on the east. The latter is the birthplace of the eponymous John Muir, the conservationist who emigrated to America, best known as the father of national parks.

This is a great route for people new to bikepacking, says Stitz. Its easy to get to various parts of the route by public transport, so you can break it up into stages.

The route mixes cultural history with natural beauty from the get-go, passing Charles Rennie Mackintoshs Hill House as it leaves Helensburgh and heading up Gouk Hill, a climb to vistas over Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park. The Campsie Fells backdrop Glengoyne distillery on a section shared with the West Highland Way, and the route passes the Falkirk Wheel, the worlds only rotating boat lift, and the 19th-century Avon aqueduct before heading into central Edinburgh and along the east coast to Dunbar.

Scotland has a long history of droving walking livestock from the Highlands to the Lowlands to sell on at market centres. In no way was it an easy job, driving cattle over remote mountain passes, but they would have passed through some lovely places too, says Stitz. Theres a bit of that in bikepacking. If youre riding off-road, it can be tough, but you get great rewards.

This 205-mile loop from the Victorian tourist town of Pitlochry follows ancient gravel drove roads, first heading north to the Cairngorms national park then curving around to the lush valley of Glen Tilt before heading to the banks of Loch Tay and the heather moorland near Ben Chonzie.

You go over a pass and drop down into Comrie and head over to Crieff, and you really get a sense for where the Highlands end and the Lowlands start, he adds. From Crieff, the path heads back to Pitlochry via Dunkeld and Craigvinean Forest.

The trail is also great for whisky lovers, taking in both Edradour, the smallest distillery in Scotland, and Glenturret, which has a claim to being the countrys oldest.

The landscape in Argyll is so varied, says Stitz, and this 420-mile west coast epic covers a whole lot of it. Theres native woodland and temperate rainforest, and youre never far from the water. Even inland, there are waterfalls and rivers, then soon enough youre back on the coast.

This route starts in Helensburgh, then heads west to explore the picturesque Cowal and Kintyre peninsulas. Early highlights include the gravel of Argyll Forest Park and a walking section at Pucks Glen, a deep gorge. Its a landscape you can experience with all of your senses.

A ferry from Portavadie to Tarbert allows the route to follow the Kintyre Way down to Skipness, looking across the Kilbrannan Sound to the Isle of Arran, then its up the extreme west of the mainland, past Knapdale site of the UKs first official beaver reintroduction with views of Islay and Jura, up to Oban. The return to Helensburgh passes lochs Avich, Awe and Fyne.

Its like a mini-New Zealand without the glaciers, says Stitz. If you have a gravel bike and you want a long adventure, this is it. Argyll is basically always green. It never looks gloomy.

A half-hour train from Edinburgh will take you to North Berwick and the Scottish Seabird Centre, which provides the starting point for this (comparatively) short but scenic 39-mile loop.

This route sticks out from a family point of view, says Stitz. The trail is fairly flat. Not quite as flat as the Netherlands, but as flat as it gets in Scotland and its a very accessible route.

The trail has stunning views of Bass Rock, home to the worlds largest northern gannet colony, not least from Drift Cafe, which is perched on a cliff edge above Canty Bay. A few minutes from the cafe sit the ruins of Tantallon Castle, while other highlights include the golden sands of Tyninghame beach, anti-tank barriers at Hedderwick Sands and the red sandstone of Dunbar.

Its a nice mixture of seaside and countryside, and for families there are playgrounds along the way, and great places to stop and eat or explore nature locally, Stitz adds.

Markus Stitz book Bikepacking Scotland is published by Vertebrate Publishing, and is available from guardianbookshop.com

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Its all about freedom and adventure: five of the best bikepacking routes in Scotland - The Guardian

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), several countries in the world recorded a significant deterioration of religious freedom conditions throughout 2022.

By Lisa Zengarini

The situation of religious freedom is worsening around the world, a U.S. independent monitoring commission has said in a new report.

In its 2023 Annual Report, released recently, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported a significant regression in countries such as Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, and Russia.

The report by the bipartisan federal entity makes foreign policy recommendations to the U.S. Administration and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief abroad.

The recommendations help the U.S. Department of State draw up its annual list of governments and non-state actors that engage in, or tolerate systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

According to the 2023 Report on Violations to the rights of Christians in Iran recently released by by Article18 along with other three Christian non-profit organizations, 2022 ...

For 2023 USCIRF recommends 17 countries to the State Department for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs). They include 12 that the Department already designated as CPCs in November 2022 (Myanmar, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan) as well as five additional nations: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam.

The 2023 Report also recommends 11 countries for placement on the State Departments Special Watch List (SWL).

Among them, Algeria and the Central African Republic (CAR) that the State Department had placed in its list last year.

The other 8 countries recommended for the SLW are: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and for the first time Sri Lanka, due to its deteriorating religious freedom conditions in 2022.

The report details the difficult circumstances for people of faith in these 28 nations, such as the persecution of Catholic Church leaders by President Daniel Ortegas regime in Nicaragua, or human rights violations amid Russias invasion of Ukraine.

USCIRF further recommends seven non-state actors for redesignation as Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs) for systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. The State Department designated all seven of these groups as EPCs in November 2022.

They are: the Somali al Shabaab Islamist organisation; the Nigerian Boko Haram Islamist terrorist group; the pro-Iranian Houthis in war-torn Yemen; Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Sunni Islamist armed organisation involved in the Syrian Civil War; the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS); the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP or ISIS-West Africa), and Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), created in Mali in 2017.

As anti-Catholic persecution goes on in Nicaragua, U.S. bishops reaffirm their solidarity with the Nicaraguan Church and call on the international community to continue to work for ...

In the report, USCIRF expresses alarm over the continued enforcement of blasphemy provisions punishing individuals for allegedly offending, insulting, or denigrating religious doctrines, and efforts to enact stricter blasphemy legislation in several countries. Blasphemy prosecutions demonstrate a blatant disregard for human rights, and are often used to target members of religious communities and others who hold different or dissenting views, said USCIRF Chair Nury Turkel in a statement, urging the U.S. Administration to implement the recommendations , and to review U.S. policy toward the four CPC-designated countries for which waivers were issued on taking any action.

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Religious freedom situation in the world 'worsening' - Vatican News - English

Aberdeen Football Club and the Gothenburg Greats were today (12 May 2023) awarded the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen at a ceremony held at Pittodrie Stadium.

The event was attended by thousands of Aberdeen fans, who joined together in a rendition of the much-loved song The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen before witnessing the conferral being awarded by Aberdeen Lord Provost, Dr David Cameron.

The Gothenburg Greats were the Dons side that beat Real Madrid in the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in Sweden on 11 May 1983.

Key features of the Freedom of the City conferral included the reading of the Burgess Ticket, which is a scroll containing an extract from the City Register Freedom Roll, the signing of the City Register, the presentation of a casket to hold the scroll, and the pinning of the scroll to the honorary freemans hat.

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Aberdeen Chairman Dave Cormack received the honour on behalf of the football club and Willie Miller, captain of the Gothenburg team, accepted the same honour on behalf of his teammates from 1983. Both wore specially made red fedoras, which the Burgess Tickets were pinned to.

Aberdeen Lord Provost, Dr David Cameron said: It was an honour today for me award the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen to both Aberdeen Football Club and the entire Gothenburg Greats team from 1983.

Todays ceremony was a fantastic occasion for us to be able to honour and recognise Aberdeen Football Club for all they have achieved in their long history and all they have done within our city communities through their valuable community work.

It is fitting that we have also honoured the Gothenburg Greats team of 1983, during the 40th anniversary celebrations of their unbelievable success on the European football stage.

Awarding the Freedom of Aberdeen to both the football club and the Gothenburg Greats team cements their place in the history of our great city, and I congratulate them on all they have achieved and will continue to achieve in the years ahead.

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Dave Cormack, Aberdeen FC Chairman, said: As Chairman of Aberdeen Football Club I was both privileged and humbled to accept the honour of Freedom of the City, which was bestowed on Aberdeen Football Club today by Lord Provost Dr David Cameron and Aberdeen City Council.

The Club has a rich history and heritage and we have been firmly at the heart of our city and community for 120 years and it was fantastic to see that celebrated today in front of so many Dons supporters.

Aberdeen Football Club is thrilled and proud to receive the Freedom of the City and will strive to make our city proud for decades to come.

Willie Miller, Captain of the Gothenburg team said: On behalf of all the Gothenburg players I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Lord Provost and Aberdeen City Council for bestowing the Freedom of the City upon us.

We were all privileged to be part of such a special team and its fantastic now, four decades on, that our success has been recognised by both the Club and the city.

The celebrations have brought us all back together for the first time in many years and given us time to reflect on what we achieved that night in Gothenburg. This unique afternoon has also allowed us to share a special moment with so many Dons fans who have always been unwavering in their support of both us and Aberdeen FC.

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Todays ceremony marked the first conferral to take place in Aberdeen since footballer Denis Law CBE received the honour in 2017 and it is 24 years since fellow football legend and former Aberdeen manager, Sir Alex Ferguson was honoured. Previous recipients include international figures such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Nelson and Winnie Mandela as well as UK politicians, including Sir Winston Churchill.

The Freedom of the City dates back to the 12th century, with current features of the modern ceremony first appearing in the 18th century.

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Gothenburg Greats officially granted the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen - Aberdeen Live