Monthly Archives: March 2015

A Couple Of Pictures Of The Freedom Tower & FDNY Ten House At Night In Manhattan – Video

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A Couple Of Pictures Of The Freedom Tower FDNY Ten House At Night In Manhattan
Watch in "HD" New York City Fire Department - A Couple Of Pictures Of The Freedom Tower FDNY Ten House At Night In Manhattan. This wasnt a planned video but I like how the pictures came...

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A Couple Of Pictures Of The Freedom Tower & FDNY Ten House At Night In Manhattan - Video

Freedom! Online – Battlefield Hardline – Borderlands Atlas Mugged – Helldivers – Submit your content – Video

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Freedom! Online - Battlefield Hardline - Borderlands Atlas Mugged - Helldivers - Submit your content
Check us out at online.freedom.tm Freedom Online is looking for content on these four games. If you do reviews, previews, best of #39;s, Top 10 #39;s, or even let #39;s plays, check out the site and...

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Freedom! Online - Battlefield Hardline - Borderlands Atlas Mugged - Helldivers - Submit your content - Video

Freedom Industries to explain Elk cleanup at public meeting

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Consultants from Freedom Industries and officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection will be on hand next Tuesday to explain plans for Freedom to clean up its former Elk River chemical storage facility under DEPs voluntary industrial remediation program.

A public meeting on the cleanup project is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Charleston Civic Center, according to a public notice provided by Freedom.

The meeting comes as deadlines loom for Freedom to reach agrement with DEP on the next step in the cleanup and for the company to explain to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald Pearson its plan for completing its bankruptcy case and resolving millions of claims filed by thousands of victims of the water crisis that followed last years leak from one of Freedoms chemical tanks. It is also scheduled for one day after a Monday hearing in U.S. District Court, where Freedom is set to plead guilty to criminal pollution violations related to the spill.

At the meeting, Freedoms environmental consulting firm, Arcadis, will discuss what has been done so far to clean up the site and provide further assurances on remediation, soil removal and chemical analysis, said Mark Welch, Freedoms chief restructuring officer.

Welch said that he would also discuss Freedoms ongoing bankruptcy case, and the companys plan to conclude that case. Freedoms toxicologist, environmental lawyer, and others will be on hand to answer questions from the public, Welch said.

On April 9, Freedom is scheduled to appear in bankruptcy court at a hearing Pearson scheduled to hear what Freedom has been able to accomplish to resolve the $200 million in claims filed against it by spill victims. In an order earlier this month, Pearson said that the only progress in the bankruptcy case has been on the site remediation and that the rest of the matter is stagnated.

Kelley Gillenwater, spokeswoman for DEP, said that officials from the agencys Voluntary Remediation Program would attend to answer questions about the program, but would be able to provide limited information about the plan for the Freedom site.

We cant give any specifics about the plan for Freedom, though, because thee isnt one yet, Gillenwater said. Were still waiting on information from Freedom.

Gillenwater noted that the program doesnt require Freedom to hold a public meeting, but DEP has encouraged Welch to do so to explain whats going on and hear questions and concerns.

Last week, DEP approved Freedoms application to enter the agencys voluntary cleanup program, a move that Freedom has said would help it save money on remediation at the site of the January 2014 chemical spill that contaminated drinking water for 300,000 people in Charleston and surrounding communities.

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Freedom Industries to explain Elk cleanup at public meeting

Chipotle's pork choice-and religious freedom

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Despite the possibility that Chipotle's decision to pull pork from almost a third of its restaurants will come at a cost, the corporation's commitment to serving "food with integrity" has outweighed its quest for financial gain. "We would rather not serve pork at all, than serve pork from animals that are raised in this way," Chris Arnold, the company's communications director, told the Washington Post.

Read MoreChipotle considers raising prices ... will customers bite?

Chipotle's founder and CEO, Steve Ells, has made a decision to commit to self-imposed standards, which he personally finds important, enabling him to live out his commitment to environmental care and sustainability through how he runs his business. His example has also drawn othersemployees, investors, and customers alikeby giving them a place to work and patronize that shares their beliefs and values. As the Washington Post observed, "The unparalleled success of the chain is glaring proof that people are willing to pay a bit more for that promise."

Or, as one online reviewer put it, Chipotle is "a fast food chain with a conscience."

It is a wonderful thing that individuals are not only able to start and build a business in their chosen trade, but they are also free to structure that business in a way that reflects their personal beliefs and values. In turn, a wide market of choice is provided for employees and consumers, offering an opportunity to partner with a larger association with a shared commitment to a common cause. In America, we have the ability to act out our individuality and diversity in every aspect of our lives, and not just in our private or personal decisions.

Read MoreTraders bet on wholesome rally

Protecting corporate conscience acknowledges that behind a company name, individuals with their own identities, perspectives, freedoms, and convictions are making decisions that affect real peopleowners, employees, customers, and the community.

There is a distinct social good to preserving the freedom of individuals to form and operate a business based on deeply held principles rooted in conscience. Many great leaders throughout our nation's history have understood the importance of this freedomhow it elevates and benefits our society as a whole when individuals openly and fully live their lives according to the moral values that motivate them, even when reasonable people disagree with those values.

It is time that we take a step back from unnecessarily politicized debates about corporations and acknowledge the simple fact that many Americans are motivated to be a force for good in their communities because of, not in spite of, their faith. Faith animates compassion, and compassion leads to greater integrity and ownership of caring for those in need around us. Furthermore, organized compassionate responses need not come solely in the form of a church or charity to be appropriate, authentic, or effective.

Read MoreWhat shareholders think about Starbucks' race idea

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Chipotle's pork choice-and religious freedom

New York charges Narco Freedom executives in alleged Medicaid fraud scheme

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NEW YORK: Leaders of a Bronx nonprofit that provides drug and alcohol treatment to tens of thousands of New Yorkers have been indicted over an alleged scheme to plunder the charity and defraud Medicaid of more than US$27 million, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.

The indictment announced Wednesday expands Schneiderman's criminal case announced last October against Narco Freedom Inc, its founder Alan Brand and his son Jason Brand.

It also adds new criminal charges against the nonprofit's chief executive, Gerald Bethea, Controller Richard Gross, Alan Brand's son Jonathan Brand and employee John Cornachio.

Schneiderman said Narco Freedom cheated Medicaid by submitting claims for excessive services, operating unregulated treatment programs and coercing patients who live in its Freedom Houses to remain in treatment.

The Brands and Cornachio have also been accused of misusing funds to support lavish spending habits, including vehicles such as a Tesla, a Porsche 911 Carrera, a Range Rover and a vintage Corvette.

"Criminal enterprises that use non-profits to steal millions in public funds poison New York's charitable sector," Schneiderman said in a statement.

The defendants face from one to 25 criminal counts each, including enterprise corruption, grand larceny and insurance fraud, Schneiderman said. Narco Freedom faces 18 counts.

Michael Bachner, a lawyer for Alan Brand, said his client "continues to vigorously deny any wrongdoing in connection with these charges, and will be vindicated after trial."

Narco Freedom and a lawyer for the nonprofit did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A lawyer for Bethea could not immediately be identified. Lawyers for the remaining defendants were not immediately available for comment.

Founded in 1971, Narco Freedom provides substance abuse, medical, mental health and social services to more than 36,500 people, including patients and family members, according to its website.

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New York charges Narco Freedom executives in alleged Medicaid fraud scheme

CIJ against further curbs on freedom of speech

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Parliament only allowed to place legitimate restrictions on freedom of expression as set out in the Constitution.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has called on the government to consult with stakeholders, including civil society, on any proposed amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA).

CIJ, in addition, condemns any attempts to further curb the freedom of expression and calls on the government to amend the CMA so that it moves towards international standards on freedom of expression, rather than away from them.

Other laws such as the Penal Code and the Sedition Act have also repeatedly been used to arrest and charge individuals for comments that they have posted online, said CIJ Directors Sonia Randhawa and Jac Kee. It is thus puzzling why the government requires more laws to purportedly improve control over social media.

The CIJ was expressing its grave concerns on the announcement by Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek on the intention to amend the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) to improve enforcement and governance of social media.

The CMA, noted CIJ, was frequently used to curb freedom of expression on the internet and contains clauses which are unreasonably wide and open to misinterpretation and abuse. Section 233, for instance, makes it an offence to post any content which is obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with the intention to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person.

This clause is extremely wide and goes beyond the legitimate restrictions that are allowed to be placed on the freedom of expression by Parliament, as set out in the Constitution, warned CIJ. While posting content that annoys, someone may be rude or undesirable in certain contexts, but it should not constitute an offence punishable with a hefty fine and/or imprisonment.

CIJ has repeatedly called for the clause to be repealed in order to comply with the Constitution and international human rights standards on freedom of expression.

Ahmad Shabery Cheek told Parliament on Thursday that communication laws will be amended to further curb the increasing number of cases involving the abuse of the Internet and social media.

Ahmad Shabery said his ministry would be amending the Communications and Multimedia Act, and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act, especially provisions related to governance and enforcement.

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CIJ against further curbs on freedom of speech

BOMBARDIER PRIMOVE to Provide Wireless Charging and Battery Technology to Berlin

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Editors Note: There are photos associated with this press release.

Berlin will be the first capital city to turn a complete bus line into an eco-friendly route using e-buses with the wireless PRIMOVE charging system and the compact PRIMOVE battery system. Starting in summer 2015, passengers on the city centre bus line 204 will be able to enjoy a quiet and zero-emission ride through Berlin. The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is supporting the project in the context of the "International Showcase Programme for E-mobility Berlin Brandenburg".

On the occasion of the installation of the inductive charging pad at Berlin's first charging station the project partners Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG; Berlin public transport authority), Technical University (TU) Berlin and Bombardier Transportation invited representatives from the BMVI, the City of Berlin and media to inform them about the technical details of the wireless charging technology, the current project status and the further project milestones. At the event, guests had the rare opportunity to inspect the charging pad, which will be invisibly embedded under the ground in just a few days. The precast charging pad weighs seven tons, is five meters long, two meters wide and 25 centimetres thick.

Bombardier's innovative PRIMOVE system charges the Berlin buses' batteries at 200 kW in the very few minutes of dwell time spent at the end stations. This allows the e-buses to serve the 6.1 km long bus line back and forth - without additional stops or battery changing for an entire day. As with an electric toothbrush, charging works without a cable connection. As soon as the e-bus is positioned over the underground charging pad, the pick-up coil mounted on the underside of the vehicle lowers. The inductive energy transfer begins, generating an electromagnetic field. This poses no danger to drivers, passengers or pedestrians - or even to people with pacemakers. With the optimization of the transfer frequencies and advanced shielding, the charging system falls well below the very strict European limit values for electromagnetic emissions.

Starting in April 2015, additional PRIMOVE charging stations will be installed at the route's second end stop as well as at BVG's bus depot where the four e-buses will be based. The e-buses will be built this spring by the Polish manufacturer Solaris. The twelve meter long vehicles are nearly identical to the Urbino 12 electric bus equipped with PRIMOVE charging and batteries, which has been in successful passenger operations in Braunschweig, Germany, since March 2014. The delivery of the first e-bus to the Bombardier site in Mannheim, Germany, for final coordination of the technical components is planned for May 2015. Following this, the vehicles will be delivered to Berlin for approval and commissioning. In summer 2015, passenger operations on route 204 will commence.

Berlin's new fleet of e-buses will save around 260 tons of CO2 per year. In order to achieve the same affect, around 250 private cars in Berlin, on the basis of normal driving behaviour, would have to be switched to electric mode.

Further material for download:

Graphics and facts about the technology as well as photos of the event are available under the following link:

http://www.bombardier.com/en/media-centre/newsList/details.bombardier-transportation20150318ebusberlinabsommerfaehrtdielini.bombardiercom.html

Can an electric bus compete with a diesel bus in daily operation? You'll find the answer in this video.

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BOMBARDIER PRIMOVE to Provide Wireless Charging and Battery Technology to Berlin

Cyborg's feud with Ronda Rousey's mom is heating up

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Updated MAR 19, 2015 3:47p ET

Ronda Rousey vs. Cris "Cyborg" Justino is the new Mayweather-Pacquiao the fight the world is waiting to see. And the bad blood between the two MMA stars already exceeds anything ever said by Money or Manny.

Cyborg regularly challenges Rousey to make the fight happen, and Rousey refers to her as a steroid-enhanced freak. But now the trash talk is taking it further, with Rousey's mom mixing it up, too.

Rousey's mom, Dr. AnnMaria De Mars, recently declared her daughter would break Cyborg's arm in a fight, and accused the Brazilian of all kinds of stuff.

"Oh, Ronda will break her arm," De Mars told Submission Radio. "I can say that right now. I'll tell you two things: Ronda will break her arm, and Ronda will not go up in weight. And the reason she won't apparently is because Cris Cyborg has missed weight multiple times. So if you have her fight at 140, she's going to show up at 145 or 150. So that's the first thing. If she's gonna miss 135, she can at least give Ronda 10 percent of the purse.

"And then secondly, she has kind of an inflated record, because if you look back at some of her matches, she's fought women who were 125 pounds and she's 160. You know that's like Ronda fighting her little sister and her saying 'Oh, look at me, I'm so dominant.' So I'm not impressed with her record, and of course failing the drug-test thing.

"I almost feel like that's sort of like when you get a DUI. That's probably not the only time you were driving drunk. So I'd say her whole record is under suspicion; certainly the one match she got caught at is under suspicion not suspicion, it's proven. And then there have been you could look them up several matches where she missed weight and was 20 pounds or more heavier than the other person. So under those conditions and going bragging [about] how dominant you are does not impress me.

"And the other thing is, I love Ronda, she's a great person, she has many many wonderful qualities, but one thing about her is she holds a grudge, and she will break Cris Cyborg's arm."

You can check out the whole interview in the video below:

Cyborg, however, doesn't appear to be intimidated. She tweeted out a link to a Fighters Only story in which she's quoted as saying, "Honda (sic) would rather fight girls she know she can beat in the first round because the last time she challenge herself she only take home a Bronze medal," and "Everybody knows the time is coming. Ms. Housey (sic) please sit front row our fight and you will cry."

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Cyborg's feud with Ronda Rousey's mom is heating up