Category Archives: Freedom

GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Internet Society today joined global celebrations around World Press Freedom Day, which focuses on the fundamental principles of press freedom. The Internet Society is strongly supportive of press freedom, fully recognizing that an open, global, and decentralized Internet is a pillar to enable all voices to be heard.

Building on the thematic focus of the last International Human Rights Day, which highlighted the transformational role of the Internet and social mediaapplications in giving voice to people around the world, the 2012 theme of the UNESCO hosted World Press Freedom Day is New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies. This theme is particularly timely in the wake of the popular movements in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, which highlighted the important role of social media in generating awareness of and support for efforts of people from all walks of life seeking to have their voices heard. The Internet was a powerful amplifier for these voices.

The Internet Society strongly believes that the Internet is an essential vehicle for promoting freedom of opinion and expression, including freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Earlier this year, Markus Kummer, Vice President for Public Policy at the Internet Society, delivered a statement at the 19th Session of the Human Rights Council in a panel on the right to freedom of expression and the Internet. Kummer emphasized the importance of a multistakeholder dialogue to further this objective.

Kummer remarked, There is no doubt that the unique characteristics of the Internet have empowered individuals to seek, receive, and impart information and opinion in unexpected ways and scale. This success is based on an open and collaborative approach to technology development. The core values of the Internet pioneers were deeply rooted in the belief that the human condition can be enhanced by removing barriers to communication and information.

However, media freedom is fragile. Journalists are being harassed or killed for doing their work, publications are being censored or shut down, and laws are being passed which criminalize free speech. This reality does not change on the Internet. Along with the new communication opportunities offered by the Internet, new challenges have emerged through the use of measures such as content filtering, monitoring, and suspension of Internet access, often without due regard to individuals fundamental rights. Journalists should enjoy the same rights and the same protection whether they are working in online or offline environments.

A free press is essential to ensuring government accountability towards its citizens and to foster vibrant and dynamic societies. The open and global Internet has created a new set of journalistic and communication practices, amplifyingpreviously unheard voices and enabling new forms of democratic participation.

Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society, commented, We believe an open and decentralized Internet is an essential platform for press freedom and human progress. The Internet Society will continue its work to ensure an open Internet that enables freedom of expression and the free flow of information online.

For more information on the Internet Society and World Press Freedom Day, visit http://www.internetsociety.org/worldpressfreedom.

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Internet Society Underscores Importance of World Press Freedom Day

FORT WAYNE, Ind., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. (FDMF.PK) announced today that Michael W. Goltry, of Parsons & Goltry, Patent and Trademark Attorneys at Law, Phoenix, Arizona (www.patentsavers.com) has filed the Patent Application for the company's proprietary technology SR-139.

Brian Kistler, Chief Executive Officer, Freedom Energy Holdings commented, "It is exciting to announce that from here on out SR-139 will be known as "PATENT PENDING." Having SR-139 now "patent pending," adds a major step in protecting the intellectual property value for our shareholders." For more information please visit: http://patft.uspto.gov.

"I am looking forward to giving further updates in the very near future regarding the other projects we have entered into both internationally and domestically," concluded Kistler.

ABOUT FREEDOM ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC.

Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. (FDMF.PK) is a publicly traded company that specializes in the identification and development of technologies with commercial applications in the energy industry sector. The company's original primary focus is the commercial development of its proprietary, heavy oil technology. KC 9000, a breakthrough technology, provides an effective and cost efficient system to enable heavy oil deposits to flow without heat. Recent research has developed and shown the SR-139 to be effective at breaking down asphalt shingles allowing the extraction and recovery of hydrocarbons.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTThis press release contains certain "forward-looking" statements, as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Statements, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The Company, through its management, makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the Company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company. They include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to develop operations, the Company's ability to consummate and complete the acquisition, the Company's access to future capital, the successful integration of acquired companies, government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, sales and other factors that may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements. Contact: Brian Kistler CEO, 260-490-9990Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc.

Investor Relations Steven Marcus DME Capital LLC 917-648-0663 http://www.freedomenergyinternational.com

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Freedom Energy -SR-139/Hydrocarbon Recovery Process Now Patent Pending

by DONALD KAUL The Gilmer Mirror

The Freedom to Fear

The only change the Supreme Court's majority believes in is change that takes us back to the 18th century.

ByDonald Kaul

Serious commentators are telling us not to assume that the Supreme Court is going to find "Obamacare" unconstitutional just because the conservative justices gave the government lawyer a hard time when the case came before the Court last month.

Somehow that doesn't make me sleep better at night. This is the same Court that gave us theCitizens Uniteddecision, which opened the sluice gates of special-interest money that flooded a political system that was already awash in it. The ruling was the Court's worst decision since Dred Scott in 1857, which ruled that no Americans of African descent, whether enslaved or free, were U.S. citizens.

You think that the Court is going to find mandatory health insurance constitutional? Nah.

In the first place, you had four votes against the plan right out of the gate. Justices John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito are old-fasioned conservatives. The only change they believe in is change that takes us back to the 18th century.

In the second place, the high court's lone swing judge, Justice Anthony Kennedy, was one of the more hostile questioners. "You are changing the relationship of the individual to the government," he told the government's lawyer.

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The Freedom to Fear

An early but undated publicity photo of Bob Dylan in New York City from his autobiography, "Chronicles Volume One." (Simon & Schuster via Associated Press / January 12, 2012)

April 26, 2012, 2:22 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- The White House has announced this years recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor. The list of 13 honorees includes musician Bob Dylan, writer Toni Morrison, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Shimon Peres.

"These extraordinary honorees come from different backgrounds and different walks of life, but each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our nation," President Obama said in a statement. "Theyve challenged us, they've inspired us, and they've made the world a better place. I look forward to recognizing them with this award."

The awards will be presented at White House ceremony later this spring. Here's the full list, with biographies provided by the White House:

kathleen.hennessey@latimes.com

Originally posted here:
Bob Dylan, Pat Summitt among 2012 Medal of Freedom recipients

27 April 2012 Last updated at 03:39 ET

Bob Dylan is to receive America's highest civilian honour, the Medal Of Freedom, it has been announced.

He is being recognised alongside former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, John Glenn, the third American in space, and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison.

President Obama will award the medals at the White House in the coming weeks.

In a statement, he said: "They've challenged us, they've inspired us and they've made the world a better place."

Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 and began his musical career in 1959, playing in coffee houses in Minnesota.

He took his stage name from the poet Dylan Thomas and, not coincidentally, paid as much attention to his lyrics as his music.

Much of his best-known work dates from the 1960s, when he became an informal historian of America's troubles.

Songs like Blowin' In The Wind and The Times They Are A-Changin' became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements.

His move away from traditional folk songwriting, paired with a controversial decision to "go electric" proved equally influential - his confessional, introspective lyrics were undoubtedly absorbed by The Beatles in their later work.

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Bob Dylan to get Medal of Freedom

Before Long Beach public school teacher Erin Gruwell gave a lecture at Utah State University on Wednesday, she middle and high school students in the audience to stand so everyone could pay homage to them.

After hundreds of USU students, faculty and community members gave a standing ovation, Gruwell said she sees a little bit of her own students when she looks at the students from Cache Valleys school districts.

I could probably hold a mirror up, and the issues that face students even right here in Logan are very similar to what the Freedom Writers went through, even though you might not have gang violence and riots, Gruwell said.

The Freedom Writers a play on the civil rights activists the Freedom Riders was the pen name for Gruwells students at Woodrow Wilson High School, located in an area of Southern California riddled with strong gang and violence activity.

By having them write journal entries and share their troubled life experiences, Gruwells teaching style became a national success story. She graduated all of the students in her class and many of them went on to college. Soon, the story caught the attention of nightly newscasts; then it turned into a book, The Freedom Writers Diary, and later, a motion picture adaptation of the book starring actress Hillary Swank.

To capitalize on her successful curriculum, Gruwell founded the Freedom Writers Foundation, which trains and supports teachers of at-risk middle and high school students through a pedagogical framework patterned after her teachings.

At USU on Wednesday, Gruwell announced that a scholarship from the Freedom Writers Foundation had been awarded to Emmie Staker, an English and ESL teacher at Mountain Crest High School.

Staker was one of 5,000 nationwide who applied for the scholarship and now will have a chance to join Gruwell in Long Beach to receive teacher training.

I just started screaming, Staker said in an interview after the lecture, when she learned she had won the scholarship at a USU dinner earlier in the evening with Gruwell. Many of Stakers students also attended Wednesdays lecture.

Gruwells hour-long talk touched on her decision to become a teacher and the evolution of her curriculum. Gruwell peppered her lecture with stories of her students and where they came from.

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'Freedom Writers' teacher gives motivational lecture at USU

PROVO -- Expansion of a charter school in northwest Provo has pitted the school and its legislative protection against the city and the neighborhood.

Freedom Academy, a K-8 charter school at 1190 W. 900 North, has state approval for a plan to add a high school to its site. Administrators say they are fulfilling parent's wishes to have their children continue at the academy. But residents and city officials are worried the school's growth will destroy the neighborhood that already has given up a lot for the academy.

Safety, parking, traffic and neighborhood preservation are the top concerns, say Brent Hall, the River Grove neighborhood chairman and Mayor John Curtis.

"We're fighting for our neighborhood," Hall said. "Neighborhoods are threatened in Provo. If we let this happen the neighborhood will be gone."

"I feel I need to protect these families that have a hard time articulating their concerns," Curtis said. "I've got to protect these neighbors. This has been pushed to the edge of acceptability. It's a horrendous situation."

Freedom Academy director Lynne Herring said, "Freedom is a member of this neighborhood. We have no desire to foul our own nest."

She added that misinformation and rumor about the school's plans have run rampant.

Ken Parkinson, chairman of the school's governing board, met with Curtis on April 5 to discuss the issues with expansion. At the time they informed the mayor of other possibilities. Since then, the board decided on the expansion provided they are able to negotiate an acceptable contract with their builder, finish the ninth-grade building in time to start school in the fall and create safety and traffic plans to address any issues.

In a letter drafted this week to Curtis, Parkinson said, "We understand that you plan to oppose that, but we would nevertheless like to attempt to explain our position and learn from you and your staff what can be done to mitigate your concerns."

That's about all Curtis can do, because state laws implemented in 2005 gives charter schools the ability to build anywhere they want with few restrictions in either a county or municipality.

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Freedom Academy plans meet resistance

RANDOLPH TWP. Fireworks of a different kind have been going off in town lately, endangering the beloved tradition of a glorious pyrotechnic display against the night sky during the annual Freedom Festival, as well as the rural atmosphere along Millbrook Avenue.

Even the festival itself was in danger all for the sake of going green with the construction of solar panel canopies over parking lots at the County College of Morris (CCM), Randolph High School, and Randolph Middle School.

Fortunately cooler heads have prevailed and an agreement has been reached that insures the continuance of the festival, fireworks, and the bucolic environment valued by local residents.

It was feared this years annual event, the plans of which have been in development for months, could not be held on the County College of Morris (CCM) campus because of the construction of the solar panel canopies.

The work is expected to begin immediately after commencement exercises in mid-May and has to be completed by late August before the new school year begins.

Township officials had thought the solar panel project, spearheaded by the Morris County Improvement Authority, (MCIA), would be restricted to the rooftops of the high school and middle school. Upon learning of the canopies and how they would not only look but also affect the annual Freedom Festival held in one of CCMs parking lots, there was a lot of scrambling to find a new location.

That effort resulted in the very real possibility the annual event would have to be cancelled maybe permanently not because the township lacks parkland and open space that might accommodate the festival but because no location could be found that would safely accommodate the number of cars and effect of traffic.

Were still brainstorming, said John Lovell at the March 29 meeting of the Township Council. We hope not to lose 2012, but if 2012 is lost we hope to bring it back next year.

Lovell said a decision had to be reached quickly because the carnival company that supplies all the childrens rides and other entertainment was looking to be released from their contract in enough time to obtain a new contract elsewhere.

Another question that had to be answered was whether or not fireworks displays could be harmful to solar panels, and not having fireworks in conjunction with the festival could be a killer.

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Freedom Festival saved in Randolph Township

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Freedom Bank of Virginia (Bank) (Bulletin Board:FDVA.OB) earned a Net Profit Before Taxes of $309,000 for the quarter ending March 31, 2012, its twelfth consecutive quarterly profit. Net Profit at March 31, 2011 was $416,000, with the reduction principally due to increased salary expense from a larger lending staff and an increase in the provision for loan losses. According to CEO Craig S. Underhill, The Bank made a decision to accelerate growth last year and increased lending staff by 50% during the year. Loan production has increased and the Bank expects to realize a return on the investment made in new staff over time.

Total Assets increased 20% to $217,266,000, up from $181,075,000 at March 31, 2011. Loans Receivable increased $9,941,000 (6.9%) to $154,649,000 and Investment Securities increased $16,719,000 (194.1%) to $26,331,000 during the same period. The growth in assets was funded by $34,155,000 growth in deposits (21.6%). Non Interest Checking increased $1,123,000 (3.6%) to $32,769,000. Interest Checking balances increased $4,043,000 (12.7%) and Certificates of Deposit growth was $28,668,000 (30.5%).

Capital continues to be strong, growing $2,001,000 (9.1%) over the same period in the prior year to $23,996,000. Regulatory Capital minimums for Tier 1 Leverage Ratio, Risk Based Capital Tier 1, and Risk Based Capital Tier 2 were 5.0%, 6.0% and 10.0% respectively to be considered well capitalized. At 3/31/2012 the ratios for the Bank were 11.19%, 14.32% and 15.57% respectively, all in the well capitalized category. The Bank continues its tradition of maintaining a strong capital base to serve the needs of its customers and stockholders.

Freedom Bank is a community-oriented, locally-owned bank with locations in Fairfax and Vienna, Virginia. For information about Freedom Banks deposit and loan services, visit the Banks website at http://www.freedombankva.com.

This release contains forward-looking statements, including our expectations with respect to future events that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from management's projections, forecasts, estimates and expectations include: fluctuation in market rates of interest and loan and deposit pricing, adverse changes in the overall national economy as well as adverse economic conditions in our specific market areas, maintenance and development of well-established and valued client relationships and referral source relationships, and acquisition or loss of key production personnel. Other risks that can affect the Bank are detailed from time to time in our quarterly and annual reports filed with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We caution readers that the list of factors above is not exclusive. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release, and we may not undertake steps to update the forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of any circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statements are made. In addition, our past results of operations are not necessarily indicative of future performance.

Common stock, $4.17 par value. (5,000,000 shares authorized: issued and outstanding 2,836,404 shares for March 31, 2012 and 2,828,833 shares for March 31, 2011)

The Freedom Bank of Virginia

Net Interest Income after Provision for Possible Loan Losses

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Freedom Bank Celebrates 12th Consecutive Quarterly Profit

Credit: Tommy Fleming | The News Herald

Freedom senior Brandon Burns prepares to hit a slice backhand during doubles action Friday versus Patton. Burns teamed with Braxton Ervin to win the No. 3 doubles match by a 10-3 score.

By: STAFF REPORTS | Morganton News Herald Published: April 21, 2012 Updated: April 21, 2012 - 4:42 PM

Freedom tennis coach Wayne Giese has preached all season how important team chemistry is, especially when playing doubles.

Fridays regular-season finale could not have been scripted any better for the home-standing Patriots in their match against crosstown rival Patton.

After splitting the singles matches 3-all, Freedom took control by winning both the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches to clinch a 5-4 South Mountain 2A/3A Conference triumph along with a season sweep of the Panthers.

The match was everything I expected. I love to watch the guys from these two high schools compete in a truly good sportsmanship match, Giese said. Either team could have won. To see a repeat of our early-season match (in which Freedom won 5-4) going down to a doubles match is just incredible.

Both teams should be primed for the conference tournament starting Tuesday at Patton.

Freedom sophomore Braxton Ervin teamed with senior Brandon Burns to claim the No. 3 doubles match by a 10-3 margin against Panthers senior Benji Pierson and sophomore John Landers.

Ervin (No. 5) and Burns (No. 6) dropped their singles matches but were not to be denied in a key doubles matchup. Burns noted the importance of teaming with Ervin to clinch his final high school regular-season match with a victory.

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H.S. TENNIS ROUNDUP: Freedom cages Panthers