Category Archives: Freedom

Austin, Texas-based Freedom Solar just had its most successful year since its founding in 2007, due largely to the increasing number of homeowners and corporations going solar. Freedom Solar grew revenue by 75% to nearly $50 million, completing 1,288 commercial and residential installations in 2019 for a total of 13.69 megawatts (MW) of solar power in comparison to a total of 8 MW of solar power in 2018.

Growth continued to accelerate throughout the year, culminating in fourth quarter revenues of $16.5 million and nearly 4.8 MW installed 35% of the full-year total. Since its founding, Freedom , an authorized SunPower dealer since 2016, has installed more than 67 MW of solar panels, which produce enough power each year to power more than 7,000 Texas homes and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 15,000 cars off the road for a year.

The shift toward solar energy just keeps building in both the residential and business markets, said Freedom Solar CEO Bret Biggart. More Texans than ever before are discovering that clean, reliable power sourced directly from the Lone Star States abundant sunshine is an affordable way to take control of their energy costs now and in the future.

Residential sales increased by a wild 94% in 2019, driven by growing consumer interest in solar, especially in the competitive electricity markets across Texas.

San Antonio and Austin have historically been the largest solar markets in Texas due to rebates offered by the municipally owned utilities. As the price of installing solar continues to fall, there is growing interest in solar and backup power among homeowners in the deregulated areas where 85% of the states population lives, including Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Almost half of Freedom Solars 2019 residential sales came from the Austin market, about one-quarter each from San Antonio and DFW, and 10% from the Houston market.

Commercial solar is also growing as businesses strive for differentiation in a competitive labor market. Over the past year, Freedom has seen a growing trend toward solar among Texas automobile dealerships, which consume roughly 18 percent more energy per square foot than the average office building, much of it attributable to lot and display lighting. But Freedom is also seeing solar growth in industries such as financial institutions, hotels, multifamily housing and distribution centers.

Corporations are finding that their environmentally motivated employees want to work for a company with a strong dedication to sustainability and realize that motivating those employees has a positive trickle-down effect to customers, says Biggart. Millennial workers are more vocal about their sustainability expectations than any previous generation and view working for a company with a strong commitment to sustainability as a valuable perk.

To illustrate, Biggart pointed to a survey of 1,000 employees of large U.S. companies. Nearly half of all respondents and three-quarters of millennial workers said they would be willing to accept a smaller salary to work for a company that is environmentally responsible.

More than 70% said they were more likely to work for a company with a strong environmental agenda and most said they would be more likely to stay with such a company long term.

Further, more than a third said they would devote more time and effort to a job because of their employers strong sustainability program, and upwards of 10% said they would be willing to take a $5,000-$10,000 pay cut to work for such a company.

Millennials will make up 75% of the work force within six years, and environmental responsibility is an important issue to themfar more so than to Gen X or baby boomers, Biggart said. Large enterprises that demonstrate a serious commitment to environmental sustainability are realizing an ever-increasing competitive workplace advantage in terms of attracting and retaining the brightest and best employees.

Freedom projects continued growth in 2020 of more than 80%. The company expects to add more than 400 new projects during the first quarter alone.

To service its expanding business Freedom added 82 new employees in 2019 and 14 so far this year, for a total of 160, and anticipates adding 89 more employees by the end of the year.

This rapid growth has required moving to larger offices in three out of the companys four markets it serves to accommodate new employees. With warehouses and full local operations in each market, Freedom is equipped to provide faster, more efficient installations than ever before.

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Texas' Freedom Solar talks about its most successful year yet (and the power of a Millennial workforce) - Solar Builder

By Darrel Thompson

Reparations for descendants of enslaved Black people have been discussed on and off at least since the end of the Civil War. But the conversation has been reignited by an inflamed racist political climate, drawing renewed focus to the nations racist past. Last spring, students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. voted to create a fund benefitting descendants of enslaved Black people sold by the university; all Democratic presidential candidates have stated they support studying reparations; and last June, Congress held a hearing on a bill to study reparations and propose solutions.

Instead of reparations, some argue that a better path is incremental policy change, such as addressing disparities in education and making neighborhoods safe. On its face, that seems sensible given current public opinion on reparations and the stubborn inequities in Black life. Black males in public schools score about 30 points lower than white males in reading in the fourth gradewith the gap persisting at eighth grade. Though cannabis usage rates are similar, Black people are arrested nearly three times as much as white people. Babies born to Black women with doctorates or professional degrees are about three times more likely to die than babies born to white women with only high school diplomas or GEDs. In deciding which policies to advocate for, theres a tension between grand, aspirational issues like reparations and more immediate, achievable solutions that must be pursued when appropriate. But the two arent mutually exclusive or substitutes for one another. They are priorities that can and should be pursued side by side; yet, thats easier said than done. But reparations arent just another policy with costs and benefits to assesstheyre about something deeper.

Reparations are not a handout, just one piece of legislation or a check. Reparations are about Black life, Black freedom, justice, and wholeness. Theyre about whether the United States government will acknowledge the inhumanity of enslavement, segregation and other forms of government-authorized discrimination, and work to repair those injusticesacknowledging Black peoples full humanity demands justice in reparations.

There are a couple things that can be done to move reparations forward. First, educating the public about the atrocities against Black people be should prioritized. They include not only enslavement, but land theft; federal complicity in white mob terror, such as lynching; discrimination in the GI bill, housing, labor; and mass incarceration. And second, coalition must be formed with indigenous peoples in the United States and other persecuted peoples who have been injured by the federal government. Such a coalition could build a broad-based movement and help develop reparations in the U.S. as a legally enforceable race-neutral norm. Moreover, it would affirm that true justice is not zero sum.

Questions are always raised about reparations cost and who would get paid. And those are legitimate, complex matters to sort out. And we should sort them out. To deny even exploring how those and other matters can be addressed violates the full demands of justice. Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) has introduced H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act. CLASP is proud to endorse this bill because we acknowledge the transatlantic slave trade, enslavement, Jim Crow, and a host of 20th century public policies have persecuted Black Americans, causing immense harm requiring repair. In so doing, we explore a path toward reparation so that Black Americans can receive the debt thats owedleading lives more justified, whole, and free.

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Reparations: One Necessary Step Toward Black Freedom - The Center for Law and Social Policy

These are a few of Bharti Khers predictions for 2020: Texting will be made possible by thought power alone, using headsets that detect and convert brain signals to digital signals. A pill for curing malaria will be available, and major experiments in longevity yield promising results. Right wing ideologies find voice in leaderships across the world. Climate crisis caused by changes in the weather becomes a major threat to the earth and its ecosystems. I am 51.

The artist outlines these predictions and many more, for the years 2010 to 2039, in a booklet accompanying her 30-year project Virus. The artwork, composed of a spiral of white bindis, is affixed to the wall leading into the skylit exhibition space at Perrotin gallery in New York. Kher, who lives and works in New Delhi, India, has been staying in one of the gallerys top-floor artist apartments while installing The Unexpected Freedom of Chaos, her first solo show in New York since 2012. The exhibition marks a continuation of her exploration of ideas around the self, sight, and change.

Kher notes that in the time shes been away, New York has changed but so has the world, so has her art, and so has she.

Our bodies are constantly breaking down, our cells regenerate every 40 days, they destroy themselves and new ones are made, she says. So we have this incredible possibility of being new if you want to every 40 days.

The artists sculptural cracked mirror works are stationed on the perimeter of the room, affixed to the walls and facing out on her smaller scale Intermediaries clay sculptures propped on custom pedestals throughout the space. All of the work in the room is fundamentally broken, although each piece has been transformed past a point of damage.

All the works began with the element of breaking, and the design of the hammer, she says of her process. They just break how theyre going to break, and for me thats part of the joy that the work takes on its own life and becomes what it needs to become.

What she means is that she breaks her art in order to expose it, and in doing so explores the possibilities of what that object is capable of being. In a similar vein to how Japanese pottery is repaired with gold and the visible cracks are celebrated, Kher uses the visual fracture to inject an element of vulnerability into her work.

You have to break them to then work on them, and fix them, she says. A lot of the work is about regeneration. When you break something, you free it from itself. Theres no longer a mirror, its something else. And that as an artist gives me freedom and the possibility to change the thing, the very fundamental of the object itself.

Kher taps into the history of mirrors and how they relate to a connection between the body and mind. Not that the works are mirrors in function; in addition to being cracked, the surface is mostly obscured by colored bindis.

The bindi is a marker, its a sign of consciousness thats why I use them, she says, adding that they also represent the literal residue of someones day. The bindis operate as a restorative agent for her works, as well as a symbol of both sight and the self. What do you see, how do you see if you stick one [on the mirrors surface], then thats an eye, is it looking at me now? Are these works now interactive?

Whether or not the works themselves are seeing, they do face and somewhat reflect Khers Intermediaries series of smaller clay sculptures, elevated around the room. Similar to the mirrors, these works are cracked, broken, smashed, or cut, and transformed through repair or collage. Cheekily named, the figures which Kher has collected and refurbished with often surreal results, superimposing the human with the divine also connect back to 2600 B.C., when during the Harappan civilization in South Asia it was believed that the act of blowing into clay would bring it to life. Khers works might not be specific to herself, but they are markers of her own presence.

After spending last year in a highly generative space, the start of this year is proving to be more skewed toward exhibiting for the artist. In addition to her show at Perrotin and a scheduled talk at Harvard University on March 3, Kher also has an exhibition opening next month at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. And her large-scale sculpture, part of the Dhaka Biennale, should start disintegrating any day now.

The artist also designed a tote bag as part of Parleys Artist Ocean Bag collaboration, which will be sold at Perrotin during her exhibition and benefit the organizations efforts to remove plastic from the oceans and other bodies of water. While environmental causes can stir up dire narratives, Kher is doing her part but remaining optimistic about the possibility for change outside of her artwork, too.

You have space for repair and regeneration, and we have capacity to do great things, too, she says. So we can change everyone can change. We change every 40 days, dont we? Its in our DNA.

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Bharti Kher Explores 'The Unexpected Freedom of Chaos' at Perrotin Gallery - WWD

The annual gathering of the nations conservative activists, CPAC, will get under way Thursday at Gaylord National Resort along the Potomac a few miles south of Washington, D.C. What has grown into the largest annual grassroots political conference in the nation will draw more than 15,000 foot soldiers from the conservative ranks. Their enthusiasm is evidence of the impact of this years theme: America v. Socialism.

For the past year, the words from President TrumpDonald John TrumpWinners andlosers from the South Carolina debate Five takeaways from the Democratic debate Democrats duke it out in most negative debate so far MOREs 2019 State of the Union message, America will never be a socialist country, have echoed across America.

The dividing lines for the 2020 presidential campaign are drawn. The lurch of the national Democrats towards the radical left has heightened both conservatives concern for our future and our dedication to staving off attacks on freedom itself.

Our energy and commitment to protect and expand freedom is as vibrant and strong as it ever has been. The American Conservative Union, sponsor of CPAC, was created to promote capitalism, defend freedom and crush communism and has led the conservative movement for more than half a century.

This isnt the conservative movement of William F. Buckley or our parents and grandparents. Times have changed.

Todays conservatives fight for issues as diverse as allowing American taxpayers to keep more of what they earn to promoting criminal justice reform, such as the landmark First Step Act that has helped to build new bridges with the minority community. Theres much more to be done, especially at the state level.

Conservative Americans are fully aware that, although tactics have shifted and the political landscape is vastly different, the principles in which we believe are timeless.

The essential cause of freedom is at the core of conservative thought. It emanates from the central belief that we are all created equal. It is expanded by the knowledge that our rights come from God, not from some earthly potentate. It culminates in the right of self-determination and the awesome responsibility of self-government.

Those enduring values are under frontal assault, but were ready for the fight. Recognizing that those values and our American way of life could be lost is a unifying theme and rallying cry for conservatives.

Younger people are especially aware of how close we are to going the way the radical and increasingly militant left would take us. They know the devastating impact a move toward socialism would have on our values, culture, economy and way of life. With the most years ahead of them, they have the most to lose. Thousands of conservative college students will be in the vanguard of the 2020 campaign and beyond.

The light of freedom also shines beyond our borders. America is still that city on a hill that John Winthrop memorialized almost 400 years ago. The eyes of all people remain upon us and are attracted to our hope and vision. There will be attendees and speakers from more than a dozen foreign countries at CPAC, and conservative activities have met in Australia, Japan, Brazil and Korea in the past year. They also held an impromptu meeting in Hong Kong with student protesters fighting for freedom against communist oppression.

As the world looks to us, American conservatives embrace our countrys role as the worlds only true superpower and the leader of the free world. We focus on freedom and the right of individuals to control their own destiny, and the nation to defend its borders.

Conservative policy initiatives stimulate economic growth and increase prosperity through lower taxation and curtailed over-regulation. Our hope and optimism stands in sharp contrast to the doom and gloom of those who want to take us towards collectivism.

As the president said in this years State of the Union Address, The best is yet to come.

Believing that our best days lie ahead is a galvanizing and energizing force for conservatives. Freedom is worth fighting for, and in the ongoing battle against socialism, conservatives will assure that America keeps winning.

Charlie Gerow, first vice chairman of the American Conservative Union, has held national leadership positions in several Republican presidential campaigns. He began his career on the campaign staff of Ronald Reagan. A nationally recognized expert in strategic communications, he is CEO of Quantum Communications, a Pennsylvania-based media relations and issue advocacy firm.

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The battle lines are drawn and freedom is the prize | TheHill - The Hill

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has admitted to a data breach which saw confidential information accidentally made publicly available.

The UK regulator said that as soon as it became aware of the mistake all relevant data was removed from the website.

The regulator confirmed information linked to a freedom of information (FoI) request published in November last year "may have been available" and the publication of this data was the fault of the FCA.

We have undertaken a full review to identify the extent of any information that may have been accessible"

The FOI response related to the number and nature of new complaints made against the regulator and handled by its Complaints Team between 2 January 2018 and 17 July 2019.

The statement said: "We have undertaken a full review to identify the extent of any information that may have been accessible." It added its "primary concern" was to ensure the protection and safeguarding of individuals who could be identifiable from the data.

"However, there are instances where additional confidential information was contained within the description of the complaint, for example, an address, telephone number, or other information.

"Where this is the case, we are making direct contact with the individuals concerned to apologise and to advise them of the extent of the data disclosed and what the next steps might be."

The FCA confirmed that "no financial, payment card, passport or other identity information" were included within the data. It said it has taken "immediate action" to ensure this will not happen again and has referred the issue to the Information Commissioner's Office.

This article was first published by Professional Adviser, a sister publication to International Investment.

Link:

FCA admits to freedom of information data breach - Investment Europe

Freedom of hairstyles could be on the governor's desk before the midpoint of the legislative session after the Crown Act on race-based protections on texture and style passed a Senate committee Monday.

Next up is the Senate floor, where it needs to be voted on twice, if it remains unamended, before it's sent to Gov. Jared Polis to sign into law. Democrats have a 19-16 majority in the chamber, and the bill, so far, has collected every Democrats' vote.

House Bill 1048 prevents discrimination against hairstyles associated with a racial identity, such as an afro or braids.

The bill's sponsors contend people of African, native American, Jewish and Latino descent are denied educational and employment opportunities due to their hairstyles, both natural and groomed.

It's going to send a very clear message that in the state of Colorado we will not tolerate hair discrimination," Sen. Rhonda Fields, a Democrat from Aurora who is sponsoring the bill, told the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.

Colorado could become the fourth state to pass the law, called the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, or CROWN, Act. California, New York and New Jersey have passed the act, and anational law is pending in the U.S. Senate.

"We just can't have our young children and young adults being told they can't participate in their high school graduation because of the texture of their hair, or that they can't compete in sports," she told the committee.

The committee passed the bill 3-1 on Monday, with Republican Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg of Sterling voting against it. He pressed the case about whether employers would be able to say something if they thought an employee's hairstyle was bad for the image of the business or presented a safety concern.

"Is there any room for that here?" he asked Fields, who told him not if the policy is racially discriminatory.

Fields is vice chair of theBlack Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado. The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Leslie Herod, a Democrat from Denver who chairs the caucus, and Aurora Democratic Rep. Janet Buckner.

"Were almost there the end of race-based hair discrimination in Colorado is on the horizon," Herod said in a text Monday night. "For every girl who was ever taught they had to suppress a part of themselves if they wanted to succeed, for every person who was ever held back professionally for expressing her culture, and for every child in the future who wont have to grow up with this discrimination, Im anxious and excited to see this practice banned once and for all."

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CROWN Act on freedom of hairstyles hits the home stretch - coloradopolitics.com

A heartbreaking 46-43 loss to East Stroudsburg South, on a buzzer-beater from beyond the arc, ended the Freedom boys basketball teams season last year at Allens Sewards Gymnasium.

This year, in the same gym, a Patriots freshman dealing with another level of heartbreak pushed fourth-seeded Freedom past the fifth-seeded Cavaliers, 59-43, in the District 11 6A quarterfinals.

Freedom advances to a semifinal matchup against either top-seeded Allen or ninth-seeded Pocono Mountain West on Wednesday.

Nicholas Ellis, playing in his first game since the loss of his mother, Lara Shapiro-Ellis last week to ovarian cancer, scored 13 points in an inspired performance on Saturday afternoon.

Its been hard. Ive just been in the gym. My friends have been supporting me, my family all came down and with their support Ive gotten through it, Ellis said. It means a lot, because Ive never had a family like this team. With their support, it definitely helped me through this.

The freshman scored five points during Freedoms 15-4 run to start the third quarter.

Its my first district game, I wanted to do it for my mom and for my teammates, Ellis said. I know they wanted to make it to states for a long time. Me helping them, knowing my role and stepping up, its just been a dream weve been chasing all year.

Were such a tight-knit family in there. With what happened with Ellis, losing his mom, it really even brought us closer together, Freedom coach Joe Stellato said. We were playing with an angel above us.

Along with Ellis effort, the Patriots made several adjustments to shut down Cavaliers leading scorer Christian Sapp. The junior scored all of his 12 first-half points from the field, but Freedoms zone defense held Sapp to zero field goals and just four points in the second half.

Our coaches were helping by switching defenses. We played team defense that helped. It was just a team effort, Freedom senior Caleb Mims said. We havent won a game in about a month, and we havent won a game in February in like four years. Its definitely a different feeling than last year.

It was Sapps Hail Mary attempt from just inside halfcourt that ended the Pates 2019 postseason. To say that loss stuck with Stellato is a bit of an understatement.

It definitely bothered me for an entire year, and it bothered (Freedoms players) even more than me. We had a mission; we were on a mission all week, Stellato said. We came out here possessed. We did things right and thats what Im most excited about going forward.

The Pates now move forward from their first win in the District 11 tournament since 2013.

(Its) really exciting to be going to states. Weve been saying since the beginning of the season its gold or bust, Mims said. We wont be happy with losing next round.

Caleb and his twin brother Malek each led the Pates with 14 points. Freedom secured a trip to states as four teams advance to the PIAA 6A tournament from District 11.

Desmond Boyle may be reached at dboyle@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @DesJBoyle. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.

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Ive never had a family like this team. Ellis pushes Freedom boys hoops to win after tragedy - lehighvalleylive.com

I happened to listen the other day to then-Sen. John F. Kennedys opening remarks in his debate with then-Vice President Richard Nixon during the 1960 presidential election cycle.

Kennedy, the Democratic Party candidate, recalled that Abraham Lincoln, in the 1860 presidential election cycle, said the great question facing the nation was whether it could exist half-slave and half-free.

In the 1960 election, said Kennedy, the issue was whether the world will exist half-slave or half-free.

Whether it will move in the direction of freedom, in the direction of the road that we are taking will depend in great measure upon what we do here in the United States, he said.

How things change. The Democrats candidate in 1960 headlined freedom as the issue defining his campaign. Now, 60 years later, Democrats are moving down the road to nominating a socialist, pushing freedom as an American ideal out of the picture.

It is astounding that many Democrats are ready to cast aside the core value that has defined our nation, for which so many have fought and died.

One major part of the story is our youth.

In 2016, a majority of those under age 44 voted for Hillary Clinton. Fifty-five percent of those ages 18-29 voted for her, compared with 37% for Donald Trump. Trump received the majority of those 45 years and above.

In a recent Pew Research Center poll, 40% of Democrats ages 18-29 expressed preference for Sen. Bernie Sanders to be their partys candidate, compared with 25% of those 30-49, 13% of those 50-64 and 10% of those 65 and over.

In a Gallup poll, 51% of those ages 18-39 expressed a positive view of capitalism and 49% a positive view of socialism. Among those 40-54, 61% were positive about capitalism compared with 39% for socialism. And those 55 and over, 68% were positive about capitalism compared with 32% for socialism.

Whats driving these young Democrats to the far left?

Niall Ferguson of Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution and consultant Eyck Freymann suggest, in an article in The Atlantic, The Coming Generation War, that the capitalist America that worked for earlier generations is not working for these youth.

They face stagnant real wages and carry a large burden of student debt, they say. Its a generation to whom little has been given, and of whom much is expected, they continue.

I think it is just the opposite. It is a generation to whom much has been given and from whom little is expected.

When Kennedy ran for president in 1960, Americas youth still faced a military draft. In 1960, 72% of Americans over 18 were married, compared with 50% today.

According to Pew, 78% of those ages 18-29 say it is acceptable for an unmarried couple to live together, even if they dont intend to get married.

Over the decade 2009-2019, there was a drop of 16% among those ages 23-39 who identify as Christian and an increase of 13% of those self-identifying as religiously unaffiliated.

And that age group doesnt vote. Since 1980, the percentage of eligible voters in their 20s who voted in presidential elections has averaged between 40% and 50%, compared with 65% to 75% of those over 45, Ferguson and Freymann report.

We have a generation of American youth today who have grown up in a culture of legal abortion and same-sex marriage, with little sense of responsibility to God and country.

Such values among our youth do not bode well for our future.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education.

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Americas youth losing interest in freedom - Boston Herald

And Im proud to be an American / Where at least I know Im free, sang Ron Hamilton, a member of the local Marine Corps League. And I wont forget the men who died / Who gave that right to me.

Hamiltons voice echoed through the top floor of the Bluebird Restaurant during a Tuesday evening event to recognize the 75th anniversary of the flag raising during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima.

The 36-day battle took place on a small island southeast of Japan, which to this day sparks memories of long, fierce days for those who fought there. The flag raising is memorialized in an iconic photo of five Marines and a sailor raising the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi.

Among the nearly 70,000 U.S. Marines who landed on Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, to fight was Loyd Lewis, a Cache Valley native.

More than 25,000 were injured and nearly 7,000 men died during those five weeks, including Lewiss twin brother, Boyd.

At 93 years old, Lewis was in attendance and was asked to stand and be recognized during the event as other members of the Marine Corps League and other guests offered a standing ovation for his service.

I remember last year when I first met Loyd Lewis; I was so excited to thank him for all that he has done, said Megan Hoferitza, who came with her family and their neighbor, a member of the Marine Corps League.

Story continues below video

Hoferitza walked over to meet Lewis with her father, an Air Force veteran, and was caught off-guard when Lewis stood to greet her.

He stood up and shook my hand. After thanking him for his service, he looked at me and said, I did it for you, and that impacted me a lot, Hoferitza said with tears in her eyes.

Samuel Owen, a Vietnam veteran, said there is a special reverence throughout this event and he has felt it every year he has attended since moving to the valley 11 years ago. This year, a slideshow featured photos of Iwo Jima 75 years ago and photos of the island today, along with a special tribute to the Navajo code talkers who aided efforts through secret communications.

The fact that they still want to get together and do this is really special, Owen said. Once a Marine, always a Marine.

That sentiment was echoed by Al Lieske, a member of the Marine Corps League, as he highlighted the importance of remembering the sacrifices that are made by those who serve.

Only a few Americans choose the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our nations enemies. As a consequence of that choice, some have paid the ultimate price, said Al Lieske, addressing the crowd. Tonight, we gather in the shadows of greatness. Though our fallen can no longer take part in our traditions, they will always be a part of us and who we are.

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Veterans reflect on price of freedom 75 years after Iwo Jima - The Herald Journal

MURRAY On Sunday, longtime Murray martial arts instructor Tung Dinh seemed to be joking that Tuesdays start of his latest fitness challenge honoring he and his family coming to America many years ago would probably be devoid of him saying much.

He was not joking. While dignitaries that included several United States military veterans and several community leaders gave their thoughts, Dinh demonstrated the discipline that has allowed him to have such success in this activity; he just kept going, without saying a word, just he and the abdominal wheel that he is going to push and pull back about 10,000 times in a 24-hour period that ends at about 3:30 this afternoon.

But he was not disappointed in not having a lot to do with a ceremony that honored his family. He knew he had to do, so it was left to someone else to speak on his behalf, his sister Huong Kelly.

Freedom, as you know, is not truly free, so were standing here today as a family, thanking you and for the veterans and active military who have done what they have so we can truly be free, said Kelly, who is one of seven children that Giao and Hoa Dinh brought from Vietnam in 1975 as they took one of the last flights out of Saigon before Communist North Vietnamese forces assumed control of their home territory.

Hoa, now 90, was in the audience at Murrays Quest Fitness facility where her son is, still at this time, engaged in his mission to complete 24 hours of abdominal wheel reps. She watched Tuesdays ceremony, as Tung strayed focused on his work, with someone she and her family had no idea would play such a key role in their lives once in America, Murrayan Jennye Sue Smock, who sponsored the Dinh family with her husband, Hunt.

They were all so young then, Jennye Sue recalled of the seven Dinh children after they arrived in Murray. I dont think they spoke English, so that was hard, trying to talk to them.

But I remember when Id go over to see them, that everybody would be sitting around the table and (Hoa) had them reading books and they had to read out loud. She was a good teacher.

Much of the ceremony was recorded on a cellphone and that was how Huong and Jenny Sue planned to show Hunt what happened Tuesday. Hunt was unable to travel from a medical facility in Marshall County.

Like Tung, Hunt served in the American military, which had a strong presence in Tuesdays ceremony. About 10 members of Billy Lane Lauffer American Legion Post 73 attended the event, recognizing Tungs effort to spread the freedom theme in his own special way.

The days events also had a military person serving as emcee, longtime friend to the Dinh family, retired Army Col. Darrel McFerron. There are also was another visitor special to the Dinh family, one of Tungs taekwondo students, Spencer Balentine of Marshall County, who had s special reason for attending.

Lauffer, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for valor displayed shortly after arriving in Vietnam in 1966, was his cousin.

Its a good day. Im proud to come over today and represent my cousin, Billy Lane Higgins Lauffer, Balentine said, making sure to include the extra name. Then, he talked about his instructor.

Ive been with Master Dinh about 20 years now and he just amazes me. He amazed me when he did the 100-mile run in 24 hours, which I think was about 10 years ago. Then he amazed me again when he did the 30 hours of sit-ups (with son Christian) five years ago. But this is really amazing. To me, the wheel is the hardest device to exercise on. I can go maybe five minutes, then Im done.

I cant imagine 24 hours, or 45 hours (which Tung will attempt in April).

Link:

Dinh keeps focus on wheel as ceremony celebrates family's freedom - Murray Ledger and Times