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Category Archives: Freedom

Freedom Africa Launches Exclusive Traveller Gift Vouchers

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(PRWEB UK) 30 April 2013

African holiday specialists Freedom Africa have launched exclusive traveller gift vouchers providing the perfect present that keeps on giving in terms of unforgettable experiences on the continent, whether travellers crave a South African adventure starting in Cape Town or Zambia holidays providing the magic and awe of Victoria Falls.

Available in denominations as small as 50 right up to 5000, Freedom Africa gift vouchers can satisfy most requirements and are valid for three years from the date of issue meaning for those lucky enough to receive one, they can truly take enough time to carefully ponder where they fancy travelling to in Freedom Africas fulfilling itinerary.

With Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa and Zambia all part of Freedom Africas 2013 operations, the possibilities are seemingly endless and once those who have received a voucher decide on their ideal destination, Freedom Africas ABTA and ATOL protection ensures peace of mind in terms of safe and secure travel arrangement.

Not only this, but Freedom Africa places the holidaymaker at the centre of their operations and travel can be tailored to the tourists exact requirements with gift vouchers valid for holidays to Africa with stopovers too should individuals choose to take in the beauty of another destination prior to their main retreat.

Freedom Africa gift vouchers are versatile in respect of the fact that they can be utilised in so many different ways. Offering a wide plethora of choice, they are the ultimate present in regards to opening up a range of possibilities, rather than a single gift which is either unfavourable or restricting.

Victoria Falls, the Serengeti National Park, Cape Town, Zanzibar and Mount Kilimanjaro are just some of the destinations that can be visited upon receipt of a voucher and for those giving the gift; you are likely to endear yourself to your friends markedly.

Selecting a gift voucher with Freedom Africa is just the start however. By choosing your holiday with the company, you are offered the freedom of choice, to explore a new nation at your own leisure, basing yourself in one location or alternatively journeying around and taking in as many retreats as possible.

The choice is entirely down to you. To obtain your Freedom Africa traveller gift vouchers, simply call 08445674020 and fulfil those holiday dreams for real. Whether it be an African safari, Mombasa marine break or the Garden Route in South Africa, Freedom Africa gift vouchers are valid for all these destinations and more.

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Freedom Africa Launches Exclusive Traveller Gift Vouchers

US panel: Afghans need more religious freedom

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Despite significant improvements since the hard-line Taliban ruled Afghanistan, religious freedom remains poor, especially for minorities, and Afghans still can't debate religion or question prevailing Islamic orthodoxies without fear of being punished, a U.S. commission said in a new report on Tuesday.

As the country braces for next year's presidential election and the planned withdrawal of most foreign combat troops by the end of 2014, the panel urges the U.S. government and its allies to work harder to promote religious rights in the war-torn nation.

The environment for exercising religious freedom remains "exceedingly poor" for dissenting members of Afghanistan's Sunni Muslim majority and for minorities, such as Shiite Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in its report.

"Individuals who dissent from the prevailing orthodoxy regarding Islamic beliefs and practices are subject to legal actions that violate international standards," according to the commission, which was created in 1998 to review violations of religious freedom internationally and make policy recommendations to the U.S. government.

"The Taliban and other non-state actors continue to target individuals for activity deemed 'un-Islamic,' and the Afghanistan constitution fails explicitly to protect the individual right to freedom of religion or belief."

An Afghan government official disputed the findings.

"The Afghan government is fully committed to ensuring religious freedom for followers of all religions in Afghanistan, something our constitution is very clear about," Janan Mosazai, spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry, said in an email to The Associated Press. Mosazai said that even though Islam is Afghanistan's official religion, the constitution clearly states that "followers of other faiths shall be free within the bounds of law in the exercise and performance of their religious rituals."

In its 2013 annual report, USCIRF praises that clause of Afghanistan's 2004 constitution, but notes that another part of the charter says these fundamental rights can be superseded by ordinary legislation. This shortcoming is compounded by "a vague, repugnancy clause" that says no law can be contrary to Islam and allows courts to enforce it, the commission says.

In addition, the penal code discriminates against minorities by allowing courts to defer to Shariah, or Islamic law, in cases involving matters such as apostasy and conversion that are not explicitly addressed by the penal code or the constitution, resulting in those charges being punishable by death, the report says.

Because of legal restrictions, "Afghans cannot debate the role and content of religion in law and society, advocate for the rights of women and religious minorities, or question interpretations of Islamic precepts without fear of retribution or being charged with religious "crimes' such as apostasy, blasphemy or insulting Islam," USCIRF says.

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US panel: Afghans need more religious freedom

FIGHTER FOR FREEDOM: The FREDERICK DOUGLASS Story | African-American Black History Documentary – Video

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FIGHTER FOR FREEDOM: The FREDERICK DOUGLASS Story | African-American Black History Documentary
Fighter For Freedom: The Frederick Douglass Story | African American Black History Documentary / Docudrama Frederick Douglass, Fighter for Freedom is a 19-mi...

By: Bright Enlightenment

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FIGHTER FOR FREEDOM: The FREDERICK DOUGLASS Story | African-American Black History Documentary - Video

GOP Strategist on O’Reilly: Liberals Find Terrorists’ Hostility Towards Freedom Appealing – Video

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GOP Strategist on O #39;Reilly: Liberals Find Terrorists #39; Hostility Towards Freedom Appealing
Bill O #39;Reilly continued to go after President Obama tonight over his continued refusal to talk about radical Islamic terrorism in the wake of the Boston Mara...

By: MichaelSavage4Prez

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GOP Strategist on O'Reilly: Liberals Find Terrorists' Hostility Towards Freedom Appealing - Video

Freedom Lies Here on view at Joseph Sisters Gallery

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Louisiana folk artist Hank Holland is exhibiting "Freedom Lies Here," an art installation, at Joseph Sisters Gallery (JSG) in downtown Leesville through May 9. Holland painted a plain wooden casket with an American flag on the top, and decorated each of the four sides. One end names the branches of the military, one simply says God Bless America, one side is a colorful folk art painting of Veterans Cemetery, and one side is the symbolic yellow ribbon. Holland said he was inspired to create the piece as a thank you to service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Also noted was the proximity of the city of Leesville to Fort Polk, and the many military families who have settled in the region. "Freedom Lies Here" is a not-for profit piece of work, and one of a kind. There is a slit over the letters that spell out "Freedom Lies Here" where visitors can place letters, notes, photos, memories, thank yous to soldiers, and personal or family stories. The piece will travel for one year so people nationwide can add their thoughts and feelings at every location. The casket will be opened only once by Holland, who will transfer the messages and photos to a book. He hopes that eventually the art piece will find a permanent home at the Smithsonian. The proceeds of the book will benefit the Wounded Warriors Project. Holland said the piece is "an opportunity to share thankfulness to soldiers, memories, or remembrances." Scott Kincade, owner of JSG, said the piece has evoked intense emotional response from soldiers visiting the gallery, and also gallery patrons. Kincade said letters or notes can be brought to the gallery, mailed, or emailed, and all will be placed inside the special casket. "This a a powerful piece," said Kincade. "You can feel the mood in the room change when someone comes in and sees it. We are honored to be the second destination for 'Freedom Lies Here.'" JSG is located at 303 E. Texas St. in historic downtown Leesville. The gallery is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, or by appointment. JSG is featuring a video of Hank discussing the special project on their website. Visit http://www.josephsistersgallery.com, Facebook/The Joseph Sisters Gallery; or http://www.hankhollandfolkart.com, Facebook/Baby Jane Studios.

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Freedom Lies Here on view at Joseph Sisters Gallery

'Free speech,' 'freedom,' the CRTC and Sun News

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Details Category: news Created: Friday, 26 April 2013 12:33 Published: Friday, 26 April 2013 12:33 Written by Administrator 3 Hits: 292

BY NIK BEESON Media Watch blog

rabble.ca

By 'free speech' some folks mean not 'freedom', or more specifically the freedom to speak to power, they mean speaking without constraint: saying whatever you want, whenever you want, about whoever you want, wherever you want.

The notion that 'freedom' equates with 'no constraint' or 'doing what you want' is a notion that's workable until about the age of two -- at which point an infant, becoming a child, encounters considerable limitations on the cuteness of yelling, wrecking stuff, stealing things, breaking things, not sharing anything and shitting in his pants. Up until two that stuff is all pretty workable and, for the child, decidedly enjoyable. Beyond two, totally unconstrained behaviour ceases to be an expression of 'freedom,' and becomes an expression of immaturity.

'Freedom' is intrinsically tied to constraints. There is no such thing as freedom without constraint, and by constraint I mean notions of discipline, responsibility, limitation and endurance. Grace, coordination, elegance, duration, truth -- whether in music, poetry, extreme athleticism, the trading floor, the house of parliament, or scientific method -- all require the constant combination of release and constraint. Great creativity is an expression of freedom and, like freedom, great creativity requires great constraint. Stravinsky went so far as to write, "The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself of the chains that shackle the spirit."

This week the CRTC is holding hearings into whether Sun News should be given mandatory carriage in every basic cable and satellite package across Canada. Sun News is asking subscribers to pay 18 cents per month, which would generate roughly $18 million, just about the size of its annual losses. Sun News is the media home of 'pundit' Ezra Levant who, in a segment entitled 'The Jew versus the Gypsies' launched into a lengthy diatribe including statements like, "Gypsies are not a race. They're a shiftless group of hobos. They rob people blind. Their chief economy is theft and begging. For centuries these roving highway gangs have mocked the law and robbed their way across Europe."

This is bigotry plain and simple, and is hardly out of character for Levant, already notorious for airing racially charged commentaries on Canadian Indigenous peoples and for being involved in a string of libel suits. The evidence that Sun News is not a serious news channel is affirmed by the fact that Sun News didn't fire Levant then and there. If a commentator on either CBC or CTV, which both enjoyed the initial mandatory carriage that Sun News now seeks, had made such blatantly bigoted statements on air the commentator would be promptly dismissed.

Levant will make the claim, as he often does, that he has his right to 'free speech.' And of course he does have this right, as we all should, so long as it doesn't stray into hate speech. But Levant is not a character who is 'speaking truth to power' like the outrageously courageous souls that an organization like PEN Canada supports. Quite the opposite; Levant's tirades are frequently reserved for the already marginalised, and so his chatter is better depicted as 'speaking power against truth.' Levant is using the power of his place in a news station to make racial slurs and spread bigotry. This is the opposite of speech that leads to greater freedom.

Defamation, exaggeration and gross caricaturisation are expressions leading not towards freedom, but towards enslavement. This is speech that engenders hatred and fear, spreads lies, binds minds, closes hearts and creates walls between peoples. Saying whatever you want, whenever you want, about whoever you want, wherever you want, is not a protocol for speech leading to freedom. Only tyrants, infants, fools, and extremists speak that way.

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'Free speech,' 'freedom,' the CRTC and Sun News

FIDDLER: Freedom, despite the costs

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After the tragic events associated with our Boston Marathon this year our Ashland problems appear to be insignificant but that doesnt mean that we should ignore them. Two radical monsters killed, and wounded, and made life extremely difficult for hundreds of innocent, freedom-loving human beings and many thousands of their friends and relatives. Our local, state and federal governments, police departments and National Guard made an extraordinary effort to bring these monsters to justice and with the publics help. I dont think Ill ever understand why anyone would hate freedom so much that they would commit such despicable crimes against innocent children, wholesome athletes and those who encourage them.

I know we have paid dearly for our freedom throughout our history and that we intend to preserve it. Our freedom includes all kinds of things that dictators and radical monsters would deny us. It includes events, actions, and the resolution of problems that appear to be insignificant compared to the havoc just raised by radical monsters. If we dont continue to exercise our freedom fully, we will have wasted the blood spilled by those who have fought for our freedom throughout history. If we dont continue to exercise all our freedoms, then those radical monsters will have succeeded in destroying our way of life.

This thought stood out clearly in my mind as I watched reruns of our April 17 Board of Selectmens meeting, especially while Scott Rohmer methodically quizzed the board and Town Manager Anthony Schiavi about who may have helped him decide to remove Rohmer as police chief. During this meeting, Rohmer, former Selectman Jon Fetherston, and attorney Joseph Hennessey asked Schiavi a series of embarrassing questions. This unpleasant scenario would not be possible in a country ruled by radical monsters. Rohmer, Fetherston and Hennessey would have been murdered long before this meeting would have been held and Schiavi would have met the same fate if he ever talked about his "core values".

Those two radical monsters didnt intend to remind us that we need to pay attention to all our problems and to resolve them in a civilized manner. We need to reward Scott Rohmer for his 28 faithful years of meritorious service. We need to keep him gainfully employed here in Ashland for at least enough time to make it possible to retire with full benefits.

We need to pay attention to attorney Hennessey too. If Schiavi doesnt meet the strict requirements for a town manager specified by our town charter, then we are in trouble. Then we shouldnt have hired him and someone someway can sue us or at least embarrass us and embarrass our brand new town manager. I think weve been embarrassed enough already.

Im not familiar with Jon Fetherstons selectmens handbook or if we are legally bound by it, but the handbook makes some sense when it talks about giving an individual some notice before he is to be disciplined. It makes more sense to let someone know that hes about to be disciplined than to call him in cold, and tell him that he has been ousted. Thats no way to treat anyone who is doing their job, let alone someone who has been doing exemplary work for 28 long, hard years.

I hope our new assistant town manager is paying attention because if he is going to focus on human resources then he better treat our employees like human beings. Ashland has been blessed with excellent town employees and we need to retain their services. We cant afford to give them any reasons to seek employment elsewhere.

As a matter of fact, we should all be careful how we treat our town employees. We all know that one of the cost savings touted by those who advocate more regionalized services is the need for fewer personnel. One of our selectmen talked about a meeting with Hopkinton where the possibility of a joint Fire Department was discussed and one cost saving would be that we would only need "one fire chief"!!! Im sure that didnt help Fire Chief Bill Kee feel secure. In this case, I dont think he has to worry because, I doubt if well find enough cost savings in a joint Fire Department to offset the resultant loss of response time.

Some of the bad news related to the Boston Marathon bombing attack has been offset by the bravery, kindness and generosity of our residents in this time of need. Ashland resident, Robert Wheeler had just finished the marathon when the bombs went off and he saw a man with a nasty leg wound. Wheeler took off his shirt and pressed it against the mans leg wound in an effort to stop his bleeding. Thank you, Robert Wheeler. Ashland is proud of you.

Some of our other bad news has been offset by a group of men who caught a thief stealing items from automobiles parked in the Shaws parking lot. They ran after him, caught him and brought him back to the Shaws lot and held him until Sgt. Joseph Magnani arrested him. Thank you gentlemen. Good work.

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FIDDLER: Freedom, despite the costs


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