1. Freedom

Category Archives: Freedom

Research funding 'should support academic freedom'

Posted on by

Academic Freedom Aotearoa supports the ministers desire to place "a higher value on research that meets user needs", but we are concerned that those who offer "research funds and contract research" will have their needs met at the expense of the rest of New Zealand society, says Academic Freedom Aotearoa chairperson Professor Jack Heinemann.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce's announcement today acknowledging the flaws in the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF), a mechanism of distributing funding to universities and other research-oriented tertiary institutions, is timely. He states he is reviewing PBRF to simplify "the research assessment process, saving time and reducing costs", reforms that researchers and academics have called for since its introduction over a decade ago. He promised to clarify the objectives of PBRF.

"Its about time that this massive fund had clear objectives," says Professor Heinemann. "And hopefully those objectives will serve all stakeholders equally well. So far, I dont believe that they have."

"We hope that the Minister will formally recognise the important role of the critic and conscience of society. He could tie some PBRF funding to this fundamental role," Professor Heinemann said.

"When academic staff and students serve as critic and conscience they may from time-to-time challenge government, industry and civil society agendas and thereby fall out of favour with those wealthy enough to offer grants and contracts. But the critic and conscience role helps to create space for new ideas and new entrepreneurs as well as prevent poor policy and products" said Professor Heinemann.

"To do nothing now to promote the role of the critic and conscience would be to prolong the life of a funding mechanism that encourages conformity and obedience, rather than innovation and novelty."

Follow this link:

Research funding 'should support academic freedom'

Freedom given OK to hire firm that will help preserve evidence

Posted on by

Evidence collection began when U.S. Attorney's office first issued subpoenas

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A federal bankruptcy judge authorized Freedom Industries to pay a company to help it preserve and catalog electronic evidence.

The company, represented by attorney Stephen L. Thompson, appeared for Tuesday's expedited hearing on the Freedom's motion to pay Vestige Ltd.

The reason Freedom wanted an expedited hearing, according to the motion, is so it could ensure continued compliance with requests served through the Attorney General's office, grand jury subpoenas and litigation hold notices.

Thompson explained this electronic evidence includes cell phone, computer, email and other data from current and former officers and anyone else associated with Freedom. The cost to the estate will be $42,555.

In the hearing, Thompson said evidence collection began when the U.S. Attorney's office first issued subpoenas, which he said was around the beginning of last month.

Jared Tully, on behalf of the committee of unsecured creditors, did not have any objections to the motion.

Freedom Industries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 17, following the Jan. 9 discovery of crude MCHM leaking into the Elk River.

In an earlier hearing, Freedom Industries' attorneys announced the company would scale back its business and may cease to exist at some point in the future.

As previously reported, even though business is winding down, attorneys said the case is not converting to Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or straight liquidation, and will remain under Chapter 11 proceedings.

Read more:

Freedom given OK to hire firm that will help preserve evidence

Freedom Industries Officials Back in Federal Bankruptcy Court

Posted on by

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- The West Virginia company at the center of a January chemical spill is hiring experts to preserve emails and phone records for ongoing investigations.

Freedom Industries will pay Vestige Ltd. about $42,500 to maintain electronic evidence, which is needed for a U.S. Attorney's Office investigation and other chemical spill inquiries.

Freedom attorney Steve Thompson says the data firm started collecting information around Feb. 1, when the U.S. Attorney's Office was issuing grand jury subpoenas. Judge Ronald Pearson approved Freedom's request in bankruptcy court Tuesday.

Thompson says some records are with former Freedom executives. Court documents show the company's environmental cleanup bill topped $911,000 in January. Freedom expected another $1.7 million in environmental costs from mid-February to mid-March.

Freedom's Jan. 9 spill contaminated drinking water for 300,000 people for days.

See the rest here:

Freedom Industries Officials Back in Federal Bankruptcy Court

Judge approves Freedom evidence-collection request

Posted on by

A bankruptcy judge approved a request from Freedom Industries on Tuesday to hire a company to help collect and preserve its electronic documents, like cell phones and emails.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A bankruptcy judge approved a request from Freedom Industries on Tuesday to hire a company to help collect and preserve its electronic documents, like cell phones and emails.

The documents from current and former Freedom officials must be collected to comply with subpoenas issued by U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin's office and other agencies investigating the company after a Jan. 9 chemical leak into the Elk River fouled the drinking water of 300,000 West Virginians, an attorney for the company said.

Freedom will pay Vestige an estimated $42,500 to collect, restore, catalog and preserve the evidence, according to Steve Thompson, an attorney for the company.

Freedom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 17. Chapter 11 allows a company to reorganize and continue operating, but during a hearing last month, Freedom's attorney said the company would soon shut down.

Goodwin is conducting a criminal investigation of the leak. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board also is examining the incident.

Vestige has already started collecting the evidence, Thompson told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ronald Pearson.

"They started, I believe, when the subpoenas were first issued by the U.S. Attorney's office," Thompson said.

A federal grand jury in Beckley started meeting about the leak in January, officials have said. Federal hazardous materials investigators in January climbed into the tank where the leak occurred.

A tank at the company's Barlow Drive location leaked Crude MCHM, a coal-cleaning chemical, into the river. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is overseeing the cleanup, which is being carried out by Freedom Industries and contractors for the chemical company.

Read the rest here:

Judge approves Freedom evidence-collection request


  1. Freedom