Category Archives: Freedom

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Freedom Communications announced today that it has reached agreement to sell its Texas print and online newspaper publishing assets, The Brownsville Herald, El Nuevo Heraldo, The Harlingen Valley Morning Star, The Monitor in McAllen, The Odessa American and The Mid Valley Town Crier in Weslaco, to AIM Media Texas, LLC.

Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close within the next 30 days, were not disclosed. In conjunction with the transaction, AIM announced that all Freedom employees at these publications in Texas will continue in their respective jobs and positions with the new company.

The attractiveness of these properties is entirely due to their strong performance and the hard work of their associates, said Freedom CEO Mitch Stern. The sale furthers our goal of providing value to our shareholders while at the same time increasing the financial strength of Freedom.

The papers will be in good hands. The leadership of AIM Media Texas has an intimate understanding of the Texas media landscape and is acutely aware of the key role newspapers play in the lives of the communities they serve, said Mark McEachen, Freedom EVP, COO and CFO. They share our view that a newspaper must be strong in its dedication to localism by providing accurate and timely information and by serving as an active steward of the values of the community.

Freedom Communications is one of the most respected and admired publishing organizations in the United States, said Jeremy L. Halbreich, Chairman and CEO of AIM and the former Chairman and CEO of Sun-Times Media LLC, former Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of American Consolidated Media, and former President and General Manager of The Dallas Morning News. I have had the pleasure and good fortune of knowing many of the family members, Board members and senior executives at Freedom and so we are very flattered to have this opportunity to become directly involved with these important, high-quality, local journalism organizations, he added.

About Freedom Communications

Freedom Communications, headquartered in Irvine, Calif., is a national privately owned information and entertainment company of print publications and interactive businesses. The Companys print portfolio includes approximately 100 publications, including 24 daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, plus ancillary magazines and other specialty publications. The Companys news, information and entertainment websites and mobile applications complement its print properties. For more information, visit http://www.freedom.com.

About AIM Media Texas, LLC

AIM Media Texas is an acquisition entity formed by Halbreich for the purpose of purchasing the print and online publishing assets in Texas from Freedom Communications. The new operating companys headquarters will be in McAllen, Tex., and it will be managed by AIM Media Texas Management of Dallas, Tex. where Halbreich serves as Chairman and CEO and William R. (Rick) Starks serves as President and COO.

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Freedom Communications Announces Sale of Its Texas Newspapers to AIM Media Texas, LLC

President George W. Bush had plenty to say about freedom during a rare public speech Tuesday he uttered the word about two dozen times but noticeably absent was a single mention of Afghanistan or Iraq, or of President Barack Obama.

No advance of freedom is inevitable. And any gain can be lost. But there is a reason for the momentum of liberty across the centuries: Human beings were not designed for servitude. They were created for better things. And the human soul is forever restless until it rests in freedom, Bush said at a George W. Bush Presidential Center event titled A Celebration of Human Freedom.

Speaking just a block away from the White House, Bush made no mention of the buildings current occupant, or of the two wars he launched while in office. Instead, the former president spoke in generalities, cautiously greeting the Arab Spring the broadest challenge to authoritarian rule since the collapse of Soviet communism, he said while warning of its challenges, and also promoting freedom as an American value that should be universal.

America does not get to choose if a freedom revolution should begin or end in the Middle East, or elsewhere. It only gets to choose what side it is on, the 43rd President of the United States said one of 23 times he uttered the word freedom, according to prepared remarks.

In promoting freedom, our methods must be flexible. Change comes at different paces in different places. Liberty often arrives not in leaps, but in steps. Yet flexibility does not mean ambiguity. The same principles must apply to all countries, he added.

Bush appeared relaxed, and even opened with a joke about his own freedom.

I actually found my freedom from leaving Washington, but its good on occasion to be back and see old friends, quipped Bush. The members of the Bush administration the mighty Bush administration thanks for showing up.

Bush made his remarks before an introduction, by former first lady Laura Bush, of Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi . The pro-democracy activist, recently sworn in to the Burmese parliament, appeared via Skype video-conference.

Suu Kyi said she doesnt oppose Sen. John McCains (R-Ariz.) suggestion to suspend sanctions against Burma.

Im not against the suspension of sanctions I do advocate caution though, I sometimes feel that people are too optimistic about the scene in Burma, said Suu Kyi.

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Bush: Freedom not just another word

FLORENCE, Ky. - Twenty four baseball players with big league dreams are stepping out on the field for the first time Thursday night at the home of the Florence Freedom.

The Florence Freedom are preparing for opening night Thursday and many players are hoping the independent league team will help them hit it big. The players only make $600 to $1,600 a month, but many play for the exposure.

"All these guys are very fresh, very hungry to get to the affiliate level to make their major league debut," said General Manager Josh Anderson.

Anderson says at any given game, there could be a few major league scouts looking for the next big player.

He says there's more than just baseball action kicking off at the ball park Thursday.

"There's so much else going on besides the game itself. Kind of a circus breaks out in a baseball game, so to speak," said Anderson.

On Thursdays, the team is offering dollar beers, dollar hot dogs, and dollar sodas.

On Fridays, expect a free fireworks show.

And after every Saturday game this summer, a live local band will entertain you. The concert is free with regular admission to the game.

Anderson says the team also has a new program for families. On Saturdays, parents can enjoy some alone time listening to a live band while the Florence Freedom entertains your kids on the baseball field for free.

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Florence Freedom prepares for opening night

Paying down debt more important than saving for retirement for many homeowners Debt-freedom expectations change as people age Many Canadian homeowners will continue to work until they achieve debt freedom before retiring Manulife Bank surveyed 2,003 Canadians Audio clips and infographic attached

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WATERLOO, ON, May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Nearly nine in 10 Canadian homeowners (87%) indicate that "being debt-free" is very important to their definition of a successful retirement according to a recent debt and retirement survey conducted by Manulife Bank of Canada. This is second only to "having good health" (94%) and slightly higher than "having sufficient income to maintain my current lifestyle" (85%).

This is the first time that Manulife Bank has focused on surveying Canadians about debt in the context of retirement planning. The survey found that half of Canadians - more women (54%) than men (46%) - would find it extremely stressful to reach retirement age with debt still outstanding.

Interestingly, many non-financial factors such as "living near family" (62%), "keeping busy with a hobby or volunteer work" (64%), and "having a broad group of friends" (43%) were deemed much less important to a successful retirement than being debt-free.

"The results from this survey strongly support the fact that, for a successful retirement, people need to pay close attention to not just their retirement savings, but debt repayment as well," stated Doug Conick, President and CEO of Manulife Bank of Canada.

Similarities and differences across Canada

While Canadians are relatively consistent in their views on debt, some regional differences stood out:

Debt-freedom expectations change as people get older

Manulife Bank's debt and retirement survey found that three in four Canadian homeowners consider debt-freedom to be among their top financial goals - a finding that is relatively consistent with Manulife Bank's past consumer debt studies. However, their expectation about when they will actually achieve debt-freedom appears to be largely dependent upon their age.

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Wanted for a Successful Retirement: A Debt-Freedom Plan

Syrian refugee camps: Lives in limbo

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Read more entries about the situation in Syria at "Anderson Cooper 360"

Syria-Turkey border (CNN) -- The dead are everywhere.

Nonexistent until last June, the encampment of about 1,600 people now is a haven of peace compared with the terror experienced in the country just 300 yards away. Housed in neat, white tents in southern Turkey, with cooking stations in between, people here do not have to worry about being silenced, tortured, arrested or killed.

In other words, they don't live in fear of what they say happened all around them on a daily basis -- and still happens -- in their war-torn nation of Syria.

EU slaps new santions on Syria

They are, however, left with the memories of people killed. And they share them freely, in the form of grainy videos showing their loved ones' funerals, pictures on cell phones of their missing sons and stories about the horrors they escaped but many of their countrymen still endure.

"They want the world to understand them. They want the world to bear witness," Fouad Ajami, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, said Monday from the camp. "They also see the camera as a way of holding onto the memory of this lost world, a world that is very achingly close."

The fighting has prompted thousands to flee Syria, setting up new lives in a number of makeshift camps in neighboring nations. The United Nations estimates at least 9,000 people have been killed over the past 14 months in Syria.

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Syrians vow to fight for freedom

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

AxioMed Spine Corporation (www.axiomed.com) announces the receipt of CE Mark approval for its Freedom Cervical Disc, an elastomeric total spinal disc replacement device. The CE Mark approval was received as a result of an accredited European Notified Body conformity assessment of the Companys complete portfolio of biocompatibility and biomechanical cervical disc testing and supporting data regarding the Freedom technology. AxioMeds first product was the Freedom Lumbar Disc which received CE Mark in 2009. The CE Mark clears AxioMed for the introduction of the Freedom Cervical Disc into the EU Market. AxioMed is an ISO 13485:2003 certified manufacturer of the Freedom Lumbar and Cervical Discs.

Patrick McBrayer, AxioMeds President and CEO stated, With the Freedom Lumbar and Cervical Discs now both CE Marked, we will be able to provide a complete next generation elastomeric disc product line for patients and surgeons in the EU. Our EU lumbar clinical data, published in peer reviewed spine journals, demonstrate that Freedom technology has been shown to provide patients pain relief, reduced disability and improved lifestyle, based on monitored outcomes and feedback. We are also active in our multi-center pivotal clinical study under an Investigational Device Exemption for our Freedom Lumbar Disc with both efficacy and economic endpoints. Our goal is to have the most advanced and complete total disc product line in the US and EU.

Jim Kuras, the Companys Chief Operating Officer added, The Freedom Cervical Disc was developed by an experienced team of surgeons and engineers, taking advantage of the attributes of the lumbar technology and advancing the technology platform into the cervical spine. The cervical discs unique asymmetrical design and biomechanics evolve beyond first generation total disc technologies, better accommodating the cervical anatomy and spinal function. Complementing the differentiated design, multiple footprints and heights with wedge angles provide the surgeon with an array of implants to address the patient specific surgical requirements.

Neal Defibaugh, AxioMeds Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, went on to comment, AxioMeds extensive pre-clinical and clinical experience with the Freedom technology was instrumental in providing a solid regulatory foundation for achieving a CE Mark approval on our Freedom Cervical Disc. We have leveraged our Freedom technology for the cervical disc regulatory pathway and timing in obtaining the CE Mark and we anticipate a similar advantage for our future US FDA IDE approval efforts.

The Freedom Cervical Disc is a viscoelastic one-piece, next generation total disc replacement featuring a polymer core, designed with the goal of restoring function of the spine and reducing pain and disability. CE Mark approval allows for the commercial distribution of the Freedom Cervical Disc throughout the European Union. AxioMeds Freedom Lumbar Disc has also attained a CE Mark, is commercially available in select countries in the EU and is under evaluation in an ongoing multi-center US and EU IDE pivotal clinical study designed with efficacy, safety and economic endpoints.

About AxioMedSpine Corporation

AxioMeds mission is to develop products focused on spinal function for patients with degenerative spine disease, thus advancing the standard of care beyond fusion and first generation discs. The Freedom Lumbar and Cervical Discs have been developed and designed by a team of clinicians and experts in the fields of biomechanics, pathology, spinal surgery and polymer science. Focusing on restoration of the natural function of the spine, AxioMed will enhance human health through research, innovation, development and service world-wide. For more information about AxioMed, please visit our web site at http://www.axiomed.com.

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AxioMed Spine Corporation Receives CE Mark for Freedom® Cervical Disc

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

On Monday, Evan Wolfson, Founder and President of Freedom to Marry, will share the stage with President Barack Obama at the graduation ceremony for Barnard College, a women's college in New York City. Following his historic comments supporting same-sex couples freedom to marry, President Obama will deliver a commencement address to the Class of 2012, and then receive the college's highest honor, the Barnard Medal of Distinction, alongside Wolfson who has been credited with helping President Obama through his widely publicized evolution, ultimately resulting in his full support of same-sex couples freedom to marry.

Wolfson has been leading the charge on efforts to win the freedom to marry since writing his law school dissertation, which laid out a clear path to victory, nearly thirty years ago. He is available to discuss his personal experience of standing with the President after this historic week as well as the next steps in the fight to win the freedom to marry nationwide.

About Evan Wolfson

Wolfson, dubbed the Godfather of Gay Marriage by Newsweek, is the Founder and President of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide, and author of Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay Peoples Right to Marry. After getting a BA in History from Yale, Wolfson served in the Peace Corps in West Africa and then earned his JD from Harvard Law School. In 2004, TIME magazine named Wolfson one of the "100 most influential people in the world."

Prior to founding Freedom to Marry in 2003, Wolfson launched the ongoing global marriage movement as co-counsel in the landmark Hawaii marriage case, Baehr v. Miike. He also contributed to the legal teams in the Vermont case that led to the creation of "civil unions" and Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, which led to marriage in Massachusetts. In 1976, he was a Senate intern for Vice President Joe Biden, who this past Sunday came out in support of the freedom to marry. Wolfson argued before the Supreme Court in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale and has taught as an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School. Wolfson married his longtime partner, Dr. Cheng He, this past October after winning the freedom to marry in New York.

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Freedom to Marry President Evan Wolfson to Receive Award with President Obama Following Historic Week

Freedom, Parkland and Emmaus are again the top schools to beat in the Freddy Awards.

Freedom garnered 17 nominations while Parkland and Emmaus received 12 each in Thursdays ceremony broadcast on Channel 69-WFMZ. For the past two years, the three schools have been in the ranks of the highest nomination-getters. All three are competing for the Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical award this year, joined by Notre Dame High School and Southern Lehigh High School.

Every school is eligible for that award, but once nominated a school is taken out of the running for the Outstanding Overall Production by a Smaller School category (named for those with less than 1,000 students), said Freddy Awards Producer Jamie Balliet.

The Freddy Awards honor the best in high school theater programs at 29 schools in Lehigh, Northampton and Warren counties. The Freddy Awards ceremony will be held 7 p.m. May 24 at the State Theatre in Easton.

We are extremely proud to receive the recognition from both our audiences and the broader Lehigh Valley community through the Freddy Awards, said Jennifer Wescoe, Freedom High School Theatre Company Advisor and Director. Its just a great day.

While the Freedom nominations rang in, there was a yelp of excitement across the river. Jan Labellarte, theater instructor and drama director at Warren County Vocational Technical School, cheered as her daughter, Kate Dawson, got the nod for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

I thought (director) Jen Wescoe helped her a lot and pulled a great performance out of her, Labellarte said of her daughters challenging role as Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie. The role required the Freedom junior to learn two different accents.

Though Labellarte said theater is a big part of the Bethlehem Township familys life, she insists: Kate did this on her own. Im very proud.

Labellartes own cast and crew picked up four nominations.

It was intense, Labellarte said of her students gathering to watch the live nominations. I thought someone was going to pop an artery.

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Freedom, Parkland and Emmaus lead Freddy 2012 nominations

The Navy littoral combat ship Freedom will head to Singapore for a 10-month deployment in the spring of 2013.

The warship will be forward stationed in the Asian city-state under a program to place a vessel there for a lengthy stretch but rotate crews in and out.

The Navy mentioned the timing at a media telephone conference Wednesday, during which it also defended the ship in the face of a leaked internal report that showed the Freedom performing poorly in a pre-inspection.

This will be the second deployment for the San Diego-based Freedom, the first ship in a new vessel class that is supposed to be fast, light and versatile for coastal patroling, but that also has been dogged by criticism about early performance and questions about whether it can survive a battle.

The Freedom arrived in San Diego in April 2010 after a maiden deployment from the Florida to San Diego.

The vessel has spent time in the shipyard since then, in part to repair cracks found in her hull. The Freedom is now preparing for its final exam, the congressionally mandated Board of Inspection and Survey test. Failing an INSURV is an enormous black eye in the Navy.

An early May pre-INSURV inspection report something that isn't usually released but leaked out in a Navy-related blog shows that half of the inspected areas were rated red, or no-go, according to a Navy Times story Wednesday night. Eight categories received yellow marks, while six were rated green, or go.

A spokesman at Naval Surface Forces in San Diego said the Freedom isn't the only ship to not fare well in a pre-INSURV review, called a Type Commander Material Inspection Team evaluation. The Navy started performing these pre-inspections last summer as a way to tell if a ship was in danger of failing the final exam.

Since mid-2011, the San Diego-based ship command has conducted eleven of these pre-inspections.Of these, six ships including the Freedom were characterized as "high risk/no go" for INSURV, three as "medium risk" and two as "Ready to Proceed," said spokesman Cmdr. Jason Salata in a written statement.

The Freedom gets two more rehearsals before it will face the big INSURV test.

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Navy ship Freedom is Singapore-bound despite inspection trouble

Credit: Tommy Fleming | The News Herald

Freedom senior Stevie Harrell recently signed a letter of intent to play tennis at Greensboro College. Flanking Harrell on the front row are her father Steve Harrill (left) and mother Joy Harrell. Standing (from left) are her sister Ashley Harrell, Freedom principal Dr. Ken Prichard, athletic director Joey Davis and sister her other Brittany Harrell.

Freedoms Stevie Harrell recalls picking up a tennis racket and hitting balls at an early age. But it was her sophomore year just two weeks prior to the start of the tennis season in August 2010 when she realized her sport was found.

I started playing on the Freedom courts at practice. I then realized This is my sport, said Harrell, whose two older sisters played softball at FHS before signing to play on the college level.

Harrell worked her way quickly from the No. 7 position into the fourth spot her sophomore year. As a junior, she played at the No. 2 singles position behind senior Bao Xiong before taking over at No. 1 her senior campaign.

On Monday, Harrills tennis journey continued as the senior signed to play at Greensboro College, an NCAA Division III program.

Im thrilled to be playing tennis at the college level. The school is small and I really liked the campus, said Harrell, who plans to work as a recreational therapist with special needs children. I visited once when the tennis team was playing a match and felt like I would be at home there.

My parents, as well as my two older sisters, encouraged and supported me in my decision-making process as I was made two offers from Division II schools. There was no pressure in that I must follow in both sisters footsteps. Im glad Im playing tennis so that I will not be compared to their softball progress at the college level.

Freedom tennis coach Wayne Giese said Harrells progress on the tennis courts has been solid during her three years.

Stevie has taken private and group lessons to improve her serving, consistency and volleying. She has played especially well in doubles at the net, Giese added. Stevie joined the USTA and played in some tournaments. She has a very competitive edge. I wish Stevie well in her future endeavors and play at Greensboro College.

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Freedom's Harrell inks with Greensboro College for tennis