Category Archives: Freedom

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Workplace Bullying Institute hosts a press conference on Monday Oct. 15, 10-11 am in the Zenger Room at the National Press Club, Washington, DC. The event commemorates WBI's 5th annual "Freedom From Workplace Bullies Week" Oct. 14-20.

Support for the movement to stop bullying in the American workplace and to enact state legislation to compel employer action will be expressed by a coalition of special guests:

Gary Namie, PhD, WBI Director will host the conference and include brief presentations from State Coordinators from Massachusetts, Virginia & West Virginia all working to enact WBI's anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill. HWB has been introduced in 21 states since 2003. Ending the conference will be two first-person accounts of bullying by Neil Dias and Susan Rae Baker.

Dr. Namie describes Freedom Week as "the chance to break through the shame and silence surrounding abuse at work. It is a week to be daring and bold."

WBI is the first and only U.S. organization dedicated to the eradication of workplace bullying that combines help for individuals, research, books, public education, training for professionals-unions-employers, legislative advocacy, and consulting solutions for organizations.

Contact: Gary Namie, O: 360.656.6630, Cell: 360.220.5158 namie@workplacebullying.org WBI: http://workplacebullying.org Freedom Week: http://workplacebullying.org/freedom-week HWB: http://healthyworkplacebill.org

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National Leaders Support "Freedom From Workplace Bullies Week" Mary Kay Henry (SEIU), Hilary O. Shelton (NAACP), MG ...

Unless you spend a lot of time on Reddit, the discussion-forum community that more or less took over after Digg sank beneath the waves, you may have missed the latest storm of controversy over content posted on the sites various sub-Reddits or topic pages. Although Reddit has played host to some fascinating journalistic features recently including the reporting of a mass shooting in Colorado and an open question-and-answer session with President Barack Obama it is also well known for its less savory elements, such as a page devoted to creepy (but likely not illegal) photos of women. The way that this modern morality tale has played out over the past few days says some interesting things about free speech and the darker side of the open community that Reddit has become.

As Alex Hearn at New Statesman describes it, the issue exploded into public view after the moderators of a Reddit page called r/politics said they were banning the posting of any links from Nick Dentons Gawker Media network. Why? Because Gawker writer Adrian Chen was reportedly planning to expose the real identity of a moderator running a page devoted to creepy pictures of women called r/creepshots (the same person was also a moderator on another sub-Reddit called r/incest, which was deleted by Reddit last year, as part of an attempt to crack down on offensive and/or illegal content).

The moderator in question who went by the name violentacrez appears to have deleted the sub-Reddit and all of its posts, and has also deleted his Reddit account completely (Jessica Roy at Betabeat also has a good roundup of the story). And moderators of other pages, including r/politics, decided to block links from Gawker as a way of showing their displeasure at the attempts to force violentacrez to reveal his true identity. The moderators of r/politics posted a statement saying:

We feel that this type of behavior is completely intolerable. We volunteer our time on Reddit to make it a better place for the users, and should not be harassed and threatened for that. We should all be afraid of the threat of having our personal information investigated and spread around the internet.

As more than one person has pointed out, these comments are filled with unintentional irony on a number of levels, including the fact that a site which champions free speech is banning links to a specific news outlet for something it hasnt even reported yet, and the outrage that it is complaining about is the act of revealing information about a person in public a person who moderates a page where people post revealing photos of women without their consent. Even some Reddit defenders seemed to be taken aback by the hypocrisy of the r/politics moderators in this case.

To complicate the picture even further, a Reddit critic set up a Tumblr blog called Predditors, which posted photos and biographical information about the users who were active on the r/creepshots page, including photos from their Facebook pages, as well as racist and offensive comments made by them, details about their families, and so on. Some Reddit users responded to this attack with further outrage, saying their privacy was being invaded even though (as Choire Sicha at The Awl pointed out) all of the information was already publicly available on the internet, and was just aggregated by the Tumblr blogs author.

The Predditors blog was removed by Tumblr, apparently because the site was afraid the photos were not legal, and then it was later reinstated, but it now it requires a password to access. The Jezebel blog (which is part of Gawker Media) spoke to the creator of Predditors, a 25-year-old woman who said she is a Reddit member but was outraged by the content on r/creepshots and decided to do something about it:

Reddits defense of [CreepShots] is that its technically legal. So Im doing something thats technically legal, but will result in consequences for their actions.

If youre an optimist about the power of online communities like Reddit and its cousin 4chan (which has been home to even worse content, if thats possible), you could see this as a kind of self-regulating process at work. Given the ability to post anything whatsoever, with little or no oversight from any site editors apart from periodic attempts to remove illegal content its natural to assume that every dark element of human nature will be represented. And in some cases, moderators will actually trample on the principle of free speech even as they allegedly are trying to protect it.

At the same time, however, Reddit does self-regulate and even the appearance of the Predditors blog could be seen as part of that process. The site has taken action in the past to crack down on offensive behavior, and its worth remembering that the Reddit community can also be a powerful force for good in the world, by calling attention to worthwhile causes like the fundraising for young Caine Monroy, or engaging in random acts of kindness such as arranging for strangers to send birthday wishes to a retired Army vet in a small town. Or random acts of journalism.

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Reddit, freedom of speech and the dark side of community

Published on 12 October 2012 Hits: 14 Written by Llanesca T. Panti

The Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which seeks to promote transparency and accountability in government, is barely breathing in the House of Representatives.

This was how Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Taada 3rd of Quezon, the principal author of the FOI measure, described the FOI bills situation after its hearing has been finally set on November 13 instead of the planned hearing on October.

With a November 13 hearing and only having one hearing to speak off from January to October this year, Congressman Evardone has placed FOI in the ICU, in life support, gasping for breath, Taada said in a text message to reporters, referring to Rep. Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar who chairs the House Committee on Public Information.

The FOI measure mandates the state to disclose information and other transactions on matters of public concern and provides access to information being used for decision making or project management as well as transcripts or minutes of official meetings.

Just last Tuesday, Taada said in a press conference that he has already reserved a room that the House Public Information panel can use either on October 15, 16 or 17 considering that Evardone has always been telling him that the House Public Information panel Committee is having a hard time securing a room for a hearing.

If we pass it [in the Committee level] on November 13 and the Speaker allows it to be discussed immediately at plenary together with RH bill, there is still a chance to beat the December deadline, Taada added, referring to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. of Quezon City.

Congress will go on a two week Christmas break before resuming in January 2013. From that point, they will only be in session until first week of February to give way to the campaign period for the 2013 midterm elections.

Speaker Belmonte, for his part, disclosed that he has successfully convinced Taada to hold the FOI hearing on November 13 considering that Congress is scheduled to take a Halloween break starting October 20.

I prevailed on Erin [Taada] to agree to November 13 for FOI. Its a fixed date. We may adjourn Tuesday next week, so people wont be around on a Wednesday, Belmonte said.

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Freedom of Information measure gasps for breath

NORTH FREEDOM This village lost more than a century of history Monday when flames claimed a former schoolhouse.

In 1902, decades before the building was converted into an apartment complex, the North Freedom School Board voted to establish a school on Oak Street. A new school was needed because the state had condemned the framed building that had previously served as a school, according to local historian Joe Wards book North Freedom: The First 100 Years.

The schools cornerstone was laid in October 1902. The next year, the local library took up residence inside the school.

In 1922, village voters approved adding a gymnasium and auditorium to the school.

The school handled all grades from elementary through high school until the mid-1940s, Ward said. Then, upon graduating from eighth grade as Ward did in 1947 students had to choose to attend high school in Baraboo or Reedsburg.

In 1961, the Baraboo School District annexed North Freedom, whose enrollment had dwindled to 98. The old schoolhouse continued to house classes until 1990-91, said Baraboo District Administrator Crystal Ritzenthaler, who then taught a combination fifth- and sixth-grade class there before moving to the new North Freedom Elementary School in 1991.

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North Freedom schoolhouse had long history

Do you remember 2003? Of course you don't, nothing happened then. And besides it was ages ago. At least fifteen years ago. There were no iPhones; Harry Styles hadn't been invented; if you said 'Facebook' people probably thought you meant something like this:

Whatever this is

No, 2003 was a really bloody boring year as far as most things were concerned. Except for games, of course, because it was when Freedom Fighters came out.

Launching on 26 September, 2003, Freedom Fighters was a kind of afterbirth to the Hitman series; it used the same engine, was made by the same people, but for some reason never managed to become even half as popular. The plot centred on a ragtag bunch of American rebels, fighting off an invasion from the Soviet Union, which, in this re-imagined history, had become the world's leading superpower after beating the US to inventing the atomic bomb. Combat was squad based, guns were many, and the story was ludicrous. On paper, Freedom Fighters was a turd.

I bought it anyway (or at least my mum did because she was nice like that) and played it beginning to end in one night. First impressions were...meh. Of course, I was thirteen years old at the time and therefore an idiot, but nevertheless, Freedom Fighters was not initially remarkable. Friends who I've lent it to since have said the same; despite lengthy conversations about Freedom Fighters in the pub, and my drunken assurances that its "the bes' *hiccup* game ever" my pals remain unconvinced, often returning it to me after a couple of days and some pretty good excuses.

"It's aged, it's a bit clumsy" they say, and I can't argue. Freedom Fighters is more than nine years old; in computer game terms, it's the equivalent of a silent film. But even sober, I still think it's the best game ever made. Why? I don't hear you ask, because you're reading this days later, in your head and I'm not there: Here's why.

An ideal world

We talk a lot today about "gameplay", and how "gameplay" will, in an ideal world, somehow represent a game's themes and story. Look at pixelated masterpiece Passage: You play as a virile young man, steadily aging as he side scrolls a la Mario from one end of the game to the other. Along the way, obstacles get harder to navigate (ostensibly illustrating how life gets tougher as you get older) and you meet a wife, who doubles the amount of points you get. It's a short but powerful demonstration of how playing a game can tell a game's story; Freedom Fighters pulls a similar trick, but on a much larger scale.

Guns felt awkward and unwieldy; on the PS2, aiming down the sight was mapped to the L3 button, meaning that moving and firing at the same time was difficult to master. Like your character, a plumber from Brooklyn, you weren't very good with guns: The controls prevented you from ever feeling too comfortable with shooting people.

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Exploding Barrels Blog - Freedom Fighters, My Favourite Game

WASHINGTON Legislative leaders from nine states Tuesday, citing a growing polarization on the issue of religious freedom, announced the formation of state religious freedom caucuses. There are plans to have similar legislative caucuses in all 50 states by the end of 2013.

The first wave of caucuses are headed by legislative leaders in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Tennessee. A caucus in Utah is anticipated to be announced in January, although its local leaders haven't been publicly identified.

The Ethics and Public Policy Center's American Religious Freedom Program is heading up the caucus effort to provide resources and expertise to state lawmakers who want to set state-specific religious freedom policy.

The program is targeting states with a strategy to combat threats to religious liberty on the ground level and help create a thoughtful, less polarized approach to resolving differences that will inform federal officials.

"A high percentage of laws are made in state houses, not by Congress, and a high percentage of religious freedom threats materialize in states," said Tim Schultz, state legislative policy director for ARFP. "But states have not been as quick to recognize that this is something they will have to confront."

The exceptions are representatives from the nine states on-hand for a teleconference announcing the caucuses.

"Legislative caucuses focused on religious freedom will help ensure that each statehouse is a bulwark against overreaching government officials and policies that would corrupt or curtail those freedoms," said Kansas Republican Rep. Lance Kinzer, who is chairman of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee.

Schultz said Kansas is where a Jehovah's Witness and Medicaid recipient was denied state help for an alternative treatment because her faith prevented her from having a blood transfusion. It took two years for the courts to finally rule in her favor.

Schultz said those types of cases typically are what religious liberty advocates find on the state level and hope to address through the state caucuses through legislation. He said lawmakers and the public often place religious liberty disputes in the realm of Congress or the courts, or identify with the issue in cases of prayer or Christmas displays in public places.

"Those are actually establishment clauses cases. But the new threat is in the (free) exercise clause of the First Amendment and threaten people's ability to practice their faith outside the walls of the church, synagoge or mosque. States have been a little bit slower to see these threats materialize," he said.

Originally posted here:
Nine states launch religious freedom caucuses

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Salinas, a group of dynamic, fast-growing and technologically advanced companies deeply committed to the modernization of the countries in which they operate, is pleased to announce the Mexico release of the report Freedom and Connectivity: Advancing the Freedom to Communicate in the Americas, a joint report prepared by The Aspen Institute and Caminos de la Libertad.

The report cites connectivity, competition, censorship and protection of journalists as key areas for action in order to bring all citizens into a society of knowledge. The conclusions are the result of a conference held earlier this year in Mexico City's Tecnologico de Monterrey university.

The Mexico presentation follows an event led last week by Grupo Salinas Founder and Chairman Ricardo B. Salinas at The Aspen Institute's headquarters in Washington DC.

The ground-breaking report details steps that nations can take to address critical deficits in connectivity and the freedom to communicate across the Western Hemisphere. Freedom and Connectivity: Advancing the Freedom to Communicate in the Americas calls on government leaders to move communications issues to the top of national agendas and partner with other societal stakeholders to develop the digital infrastructure, tools and human capacity that will improve local economies, create good quality employment and educational opportunities, and enhance political, social and cultural life. National efforts must focus on reaching consensus, increasing investments, ensuring robust competition in telecommunications and media markets, nurturing innovation, and building a stronger legal environment for protecting the freedom to communicate.

The discussion accompanying the Mexico release was moderated by Sergio Sarmiento, President of Caminos de la Libertad, together with Charlie Firestone, Executive Director of the Communications and Society Program of The Aspen Institute.

The report highlights the need for markets, regulatory and policy structures, and attitudes to "change to align with the new realities of a global digital age." Among the key barriers to connectivity detailed in the report were the lack of political consensus across leading societal institutions, insufficient investment and competition due to Mexico's highly concentrated telecommunications sector, and direct and indirect censorship and the safety of journalists.

The Aspen Institute Forum on the Freedom to Communicate was created by the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program in association with Grupo Salinas to address issues surrounding the freedoms of expression, association, and connectivity and to develop actionable recommendations that can enhance these freedoms, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. The inaugural forum was held on February 22, 2012, at the Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico City.

About the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program serves as a non-partisan venue for global leaders and experts to exchange insights on the societal impact of advances in digital technology and network communications. It also creates a multidisciplinary space in the communications policy-making world where veteran and emerging decision-makers can explore new concepts and develop new policy networks. Visit us on the web at http://www.aspeninstitute.org/c&s and follow on Twitter @aspencs and #Freedom2c

About Grupo Salinas Grupo Salinas (www.gruposalinas.com) is a group of dynamic, fast growing, and technologically advanced companies focused on creating shareholder value, building the Mexican middle class, and improving society through excellence. Created by Mexican entrepreneur Ricardo B. Salinas (www.ricardosalinas.com), Grupo Salinas operates as a management development and decision forum for the top leaders of member companies. These companies include: TV Azteca (www.tvazteca.com.mx; irtvazteca.com), Azteca America (www.aztecaamerica.com), Grupo Elektra (www.grupoelektra.com.mx), Banco Azteca (www.bancoazteca.com.mx), Afore Azteca (www.aforeazteca.com.mx), Seguros Azteca (www.segurosazteca.com.mx), Advance America (www.advanceamerica.net) and Grupo Iusacell (www.iusacell.com). Each of the Grupo Salinas companies operates independently, with its own management, board of directors and shareholders. Grupo Salinas has no equity holdings.

Follow Ricardo Salinas on Facebook: Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego and on Twitter: @RicardoBSalinas in addition to @GrupoSalinas_GS

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Grupo Salinas and Aspen Institute Present Freedom and Connectivity Report to Federal Government Elect in Mexico City

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The International Telecommunications Union will hold a summit in September to discuss regulating internet usage globally. How could this impact Australia?

It is the "most important meeting you've never heard of" a behind-closed-doors battle for control of the internet that one of the web's founders fears may "put government handcuffs on the net".

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations organisation representing 193 countries, is reviewing international agreements governing telecommunications with a view to expanding its regulatory authority over the internet.

What's really afoot, however, is an effort by some nations to rebalance the internet in their favour by reinstituting telecom regulatory concepts from the last century.

The ITU will hold a summit in Dubai in December where member countries will negotiate a treaty (last updated 24 years ago in Melbourne) that sets out regulations on how international voice, data and video traffic is handled.

"We need to prevent a fundamental shift in how the internet is governed" ... Vint Cerf. Photo: Luis Ascui

The ITU, founded in 1865 at the dawn of the telegraph, presently focuses on telecommunications networks and radio frequency allocations but some members such as Russia, China and Iran will use the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) to try to expand the treaty to include internet regulation.

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Secret WCIT proposals from several stakeholders have been leaked on the website WCITLeaks.org, giving rise to fears from civil liberties groups and the technology industry that the days of a free, open internet are coming to an end.

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Internet freedom under threat

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --On behalf of a bipartisan group of over 120 state lawmakers serving in statehouses across the country, prominent legislative leaders from nine states today announced the formation of the nation's first state religious freedom caucuses. The national teleconference announcement was organized and hosted by the Ethics and Public Policy Center's American Religious Freedom Program (ARFP). The announcement is the first installment in a national plan to have religious freedom caucuses in all 50 state legislatures by the end of 2013.

The new caucuses are composed of lawmakers in prominent leadership positions in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. The caucuses will help legislators set state-specific agendas for strengthening religious liberties, learn from the experiences of sister states, and formulate religious freedom policy based on input from each state's diverse faith communities.

"Faith communities across the nation have begun working together to secure and strengthen our cherished religious liberties on behalf of all Americans of all faiths," said Brian W. Walsh, ARFP's executive director. "Today the movement to defend religious freedom is being joined by a bipartisan group of highly effective legislators in nine state capitals who will provide unifying leadership on these issues."

Rep. Lance Kinzer, a founding member of Kansas's religious freedom caucus, spoke about today's announcement. "Kansans and all Americans recognize the indispensable role that our remarkable religious freedoms have played in making America a beacon of hope to oppressed peoples across the globe," said Rep. Kinzer. "Legislative caucuses focused on religious freedom will help ensure that each statehouse is a bulwark against overreaching government officials and policies that would corrupt or curtail those freedoms."

Rep. John J. DeBerry, Jr., is one of the founders of Tennessee's religious freedom caucus. According to Rep. DeBerry, "Religious diversity in America is increasing greatly, and the only way we will hold together as one people is by continuing to ensure robust religious freedoms and rights of conscience for all Americans." DeBerry added that "some government leaders seem to have forgotten that freedom of religion includes keeping government out of matters that properly belong to America's faith communities."

Leaders of each state caucus will guide that state's agenda for enacting specific protections for religious freedom. The American Religious Freedom Program will work with a broad range of legislators, religious leaders, and other coalition members to help form additional caucuses and produce state-specific educational materials on religious freedom.

To schedule an interview with the Ethics and Public Policy Center or caucus organizers from Ariz., Colo., Fla., Idaho, Kan., Mo., N.H., Okla., and Tenn., please contact Sarah Mueller at smueller@ls2group.com or 515-954-5300.

EPPC's American Religious Freedom Program is devoted to protecting and strengthening Americans' God-given and constitutional religious freedoms. The program brings together individuals and organizations of all religious faiths, regardless of ideological or political affiliation. ARFP is fighting the trend to delegitimize religious expression in public life, defending Americans' ability to live out their religious beliefs beyond the walls of their houses of worship. For more information, visit religiousfreedom.org and religiousfreedomnews.org or twitter.com/religfreedom.

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Broad Array of Lawmakers in Nine State Legislatures Announce Nation's First State Religious Freedom Caucuses

Holly Bruce holds up a sign during the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally in front of the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 23, 2012.

Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Enlarge photo

WASHINGTON Legislative leaders from nine states Tuesday, citing a growing polarization on the issue of religious freedom, announced the formation of state religious freedom caucuses. There are plans to have similar legislative caucuses in all 50 states by the end of 2013.

The first wave of caucuses are headed by legislative leaders in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Tennessee. A caucus in Utah is anticipated to be announced in January, although its local leaders haven't been publicly identified.

The Ethics and Public Policy Center's American Religious Freedom Program is heading up the caucus effort to provide resources and expertise to state lawmakers who want to set state-specific religious freedom policy.

The program is targeting states with a strategy to combat threats to religious liberty on the ground level and help create a thoughtful, less polarized approach to resolving differences that will inform federal officials.

"A high percentage of laws are made in state houses, not by Congress, and a high percentage of religious freedom threats materialize in states," said Tim Schultz, state legislative policy director for ARFP. "But states have not been as quick to recognize that this is something they will have to confront."

The exceptions are representatives from the nine states on-hand for a teleconference announcing the caucuses.

"Legislative caucuses focused on religious freedom will help ensure that each statehouse is a bulwark against overreaching government officials and policies that would corrupt or curtail those freedoms," said Kansas Republican Rep. Lance Kinzer, who is chairman of the Legislature's Judiciary Committee.

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Nine states launch religious freedom caucuses to promote tolerance