Category Archives: Freedom

Cesar Entrevista a Miss Freedom of Venezuela Parte 1/4
Candidatas: Sucre, Distrito Capital, Apure, Anzoategui. Para ms informacin sobre el programa sgueme en las redes sociales @CesarEntrevista.

By: CesarEntrevista

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Cesar Entrevista a Miss Freedom of Venezuela Parte 1/4 - Video

For generations, people worldwide who yearn for freedom have looked to the United States. Here, every citizen can speak his mind, pursue his passion, and exercise other God-given liberties that are unjustly denied many others around the globe.

But that doesnt mean were above reproach in all areas of freedom. Take economic freedom, which continues to deteriorate a little more each year. Im not basing this on hearsay, or on the latest jobs report. Every year, The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal release a detailed, country-by-country policy guide known as the Index of Economic Freedom. And the news for the United States has been getting a little worse each year over the last several editions.

In the 2013 Index, the United States managed to hold onto its 10th-place finish from the year before, despite an overall decline in its score. My last Index column concluded with this sentence: Or is this our last year as a top-10 finalist in the Index?

According to the 2014 Index, our 20th anniversary edition, the answer is yes. The U.S. now stands at No. 12 globally. Even among North Americas economies, we have little to brag about: Canada, sixth globally and one of many that improved last year, has a comfortable lead on us.

As recently as 2008, the U.S. ranked seventh worldwide, had a score of 81 (on a 0-100 scale, with 100 being the freest), and was listed as a free economy (a score of at least 80). Today, it has a score of 75.5 and is mostly free, the Indexs second-tier economic freedom category.

Before explaining why, lets explain how the editors of the Index determine the scores. Each country is evaluated in four broad areas of economic freedom:

(1) Rule of Law. Are property rights protected through an effective and honest judicial system? How widespread is corruption bribery, extortion, graft, and the like?

(2) Limited Government. Are taxes high or low? Is government spending kept under control, or is it growing unchecked?

(3) Regulatory Efficiency. Are businesses able to operate without burdensome and redundant regulations? Are individuals able to work where and how much they want? Is inflation in check? Are prices stable?

(4) Open Markets: Can goods be traded freely? Are there tariffs, quota or other restrictions? Can individuals invest their money where and how they see fit? Is there an open banking environment that encourages competition?

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Economic freedom is fading in the United States

It hasnt taken long for fratricide to erupt between two companies blamed for the early January chemical spill in West Virginia. In a court filing, a local water utility has accused Freedom Industries, the chemical supplier blamed for the leak in Charleston, of trying to pull a fast one in its federal bankruptcy filing.

As I explained in my last post on the legal wrangling in the wake of the spill, closely held Freedom Industries filed on Jan. 17 for Chapter 11 protection from its creditorsan unsurprising move designed to freeze a growing wave of liability lawsuits seeking damages related to the cutoff of public water to some 300,000 customers in the Charleston area.

Freedom also hinted in the filing that it would attempt to shift culpability to the West Virginia unit of American Water Works. Many of the plaintiffs suing Freedom have filed claims as well againstAmerican Water Works (AWK) (AWK)for failing to move swiftly enough to close its intake in Charleston. The intake to the public water system is a mere mile and a half down the Elk River from Freedoms chemical-storage facility. Freedom suggested that perhaps American Water had helped cause the leak in the first place when a water main break contributed to damage to a storage tank.

In its own filing dated Jan. 19 and made available yesterday, the West Virginia unit of the water company fired back. West Virginia-American Water accused the chemical supplier of concealing its true ownership, using a proposed emergency loan to put creditors at a disadvantage, and generallyfailing to provide the bankruptcy court with sufficient financial information about such matters as Freedoms insurance coverage. The situation smells of collusion, the water utility alleged in its court papers.

West Virginia-American Water said it has a big stake in Freedoms Chapter 11 because the utility suffered expensive damages as a result of the water shut-down. The utility added that, in those suits naming it as a defendant, the company plans to file cross-claims shifting liability to Freedom. West Virginia-American Water ultimately will become the largest creditor by far in this bankruptcy case, the utility said.

Freedoms Chapter 11 filing is indeed vague about the chemical companys current owner, identified in court papers only as Chemstream Holdings, a Pennsylvania company. Cross-referencing publicly filed corporate records from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, however, I was able to show that Chemstream appears to be controlled by a Pennsylvania coal magnate named J. Clifford Forrest, who had the misfortune of acquiring Freedom Industries only weeks before the Charleston chemical spill was discovered on Jan. 9. I also showed that, via other corporate vehicles, Forrest has proposed to loan his deeply troubled new acquisition $5 million to keep it operating during the bankruptcy process.

Now West Virginia-American Water is alleging that the loan, which would require bankruptcy-court approval, is actually a disguised tool to manipulate the bankruptcy process. Without naming Forrest, the water company warned the court that Freedoms owner is trying to use the loan to hold onto those parts of the business that it deems valuable, abandoning the rest, taking the going concern value from the debtor, and leaving the debtor and its many creditors holding the bag.

West Virginia-American Water requested that the bankruptcy judge slow down the process, allow the water utility and other creditors an opportunity to get organized, and force Freedom Industries to be more transparent about its ownership structure and plans for satisfying creditors claims.

So far, lawyers for Freedom and Forrest havent responded to my inquiries. Presumably they will soon answer the utilitys allegations in their own court filings. Meanwhile, Bloomberg Businessweek will stay on top of these strange legal doings in Charleston.

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New Accusations Against Freedom Industries in West Virginia Spill

It hasnt taken long for fratricide to erupt between two companies blamed for the early January chemical spill in West Virginia. In a court filing, a local water utility has accused Freedom Industries, the chemical supplier blamed for the leak in Charleston, of trying to pull a fast one in its federal bankruptcy filing.

As I explained in my last post on the legal wrangling in the wake of the spill, closely held Freedom Industries filed on Jan. 17 for Chapter 11 protection from its creditorsan unsurprising move designed to freeze a growing wave of liability lawsuits seeking damages related to the cutoff of public water to some 300,000 customers in the Charleston area.

Freedom also hinted in the filing that it would attempt to shift culpability to the West Virginia unit of American Water Works. Many of the plaintiffs suing Freedom have filed claims as well againstAmerican Water Works (AWK) (AWK)for failing to move swiftly enough to close its intake in Charleston. The intake to the public water system is a mere mile and a half down the Elk River from Freedoms chemical-storage facility. Freedom suggested that perhaps American Water had helped cause the leak in the first place when a water main break contributed to damage to a storage tank.

In its own filing dated Jan. 19 and made available yesterday, the West Virginia unit of the water company fired back. West Virginia-American Water accused the chemical supplier of concealing its true ownership, using a proposed emergency loan to put creditors at a disadvantage, and generallyfailing to provide the bankruptcy court with sufficient financial information about such matters as Freedoms insurance coverage. The situation smells of collusion, the water utility alleged in its court papers.

West Virginia-American Water said it has a big stake in Freedoms Chapter 11 because the utility suffered expensive damages as a result of the water shut-down. The utility added that, in those suits naming it as a defendant, the company plans to file cross-claims shifting liability to Freedom. West Virginia-American Water ultimately will become the largest creditor by far in this bankruptcy case, the utility said.

Freedoms Chapter 11 filing is indeed vague about the chemical companys current owner, identified in court papers only as Chemstream Holdings, a Pennsylvania company. Cross-referencing publicly filed corporate records from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, however, I was able to show that Chemstream appears to be controlled by a Pennsylvania coal magnate named J. Clifford Forrest, who had the misfortune of acquiring Freedom Industries only weeks before the Charleston chemical spill was discovered on Jan. 9. I also showed that, via other corporate vehicles, Forrest has proposed to loan his deeply troubled new acquisition $5 million to keep it operating during the bankruptcy process.

Now West Virginia-American Water is alleging that the loan, which would require bankruptcy-court approval, is actually a disguised tool to manipulate the bankruptcy process. Without naming Forrest, the water company warned the court that Freedoms owner is trying to use the loan to hold onto those parts of the business that it deems valuable, abandoning the rest, taking the going concern value from the debtor, and leaving the debtor and its many creditors holding the bag.

West Virginia-American Water requested that the bankruptcy judge slow down the process, allow the water utility and other creditors an opportunity to get organized, and force Freedom Industries to be more transparent about its ownership structure and plans for satisfying creditors claims.

So far, lawyers for Freedom and Forrest havent responded to my inquiries. Presumably they will soon answer the utilitys allegations in their own court filings. Meanwhile, Bloomberg Businessweek will stay on top of these strange legal doings in Charleston.

See the article here:
Freedom Industries Faces New Claims in Chemical Spill

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) The Freedom Train will likely run again next year on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day after last-minute ticket sales for the commemorative ride from San Jose and San Francisco skyrocketed.

Some 1,031 riders took the chartered Caltrain ride by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Santa Clara Valley for nearly 30-year tradition Monday morning.

It was more diverse than weve ever seen it, organizer and association president Kathleen Flynn said.

She said residents of all backgrounds and from all parts of the Bay Area and beyond took the ride that included gospel singers, U.S. Marshals members speaking about the history of the civil rights movement, and local dignitaries including San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra talking about civil rights.

If everyone continues to step up, well keep running the train, she said.

The ride between the two Bay Area cities is about the same distance as the 54 miles between Selma and Montgomery, Ala., which King and other civil rights activists marched in March 1965.

The association foots the $5,000 bill to charter the train, and this year decided to modify the ride with passengers only getting on in San Jose. The train then went directly into San Francisco to meet up with a march that headed to an MLK celebration at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Gardens.

Any surplus from ticket sales goes to the groups scholarship fund, Flynn said.

She said next year the train would again run without stopping.

In past years the train has picked up riders in Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and San Mateo.

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‘Freedom Train’ Gains Last-Minute Riders, Will Run Again

AC4 Freedom Cry DLC - Part 5 - Maroon Recruiting (Assassin #39;s Creed 4 Let #39;s Play / Walkthrough)
Buy this game! http://amzn.to/16GC7yv AC4 Freedom Cry Playlist: http://bit.ly/1cZqowK Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TmarTn Facebook: http://www.facebook.co...

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AC4 Freedom Cry DLC - Part 5 - Maroon Recruiting (Assassin's Creed 4 Let's Play / Walkthrough) - Video

White House Committed to Pushing Religious Freedom
White House Committed to Pushing Religious Freedom.

By: CBN News

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White House Committed to Pushing Religious Freedom - Video

NTN24 #39;s Club de Prensa at CSI: Press Freedom in the Americas
Followed by a panel discussion on: "Press Freedom in the Americas" Featuring: Antonio Cao Senior Correspondent El Pas Muni Jensen Political Analyst Club de...

By: Center for Strategic International Studies

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NTN24's Club de Prensa at CSI: Press Freedom in the Americas - Video

American Freedom Stories: Medgar Evers - Legacy
In 1954, Medgar Evers became the first state field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi. As a civil rights leader, he fought to end the racial injustice he ...

By: BIO

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American Freedom Stories: Medgar Evers - Legacy - Video

AC4 FREEDOM CRY DLC # 03 - Groe Befreiung Let #39;s Play Assassin #39;s Creed 4 | HD
Weitere Let #39;s Plays und Hintergrundinfos: http://www.pietsmiet.de Spiel gnstig schnell per Email bei MMOGA http://goo.gl/pbT1BY Facebook: http://goo.gl/...

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AC4 FREEDOM CRY DLC # 03 - Große Befreiung «» Let's Play Assassin's Creed 4 | HD - Video