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USS Freedom Arrives in Manila; Sailors Reminded to Update Exceptional Family Member Program Status – Video

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USS Freedom Arrives in Manila; Sailors Reminded to Update Exceptional Family Member Program Status
All Hands Update April 10, 2013 #2 Headlines for Wednesday, April 10, 2013: USS Freedom Arrives in Manila; Sailors Reminded to Update Exceptional Family Memb...

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USS Freedom Arrives in Manila; Sailors Reminded to Update Exceptional Family Member Program Status - Video

Freedom Rally draws gun, tax activists to Medford

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MEDFORD Freedom Park was the aptly named venue for a rally Sunday that drew staunch defenders of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The right to bear arms and the need for tax reform timely topics amid the raging gun debate and the looming April 15 filing deadline were among the subjects passionate speakers expounded upon for a flag-waving crowd of about 3 dozen conservatives who gathered at the Union Street locale.

We are armed with conviction and spirit and the history of resistance. We will not allow tyranny to cry havoc. We will not go quietly into the night, said Bill Haney, the campaign manager for Republicans4Burlco, a political slate running for county and state offices in the June 4 Republican primary election.

The New Jersey Second Amendment Society, New Jersey Constitution Party, New Jersey Tea Party Caucus, New Jersey 10th Amendment Center, and FairTax New Jersey also were represented at the rally, which was organized loosely under the banner, We the People.

The freedom theme resonated with Scott and Debbie Gager, a township couple whose son is a soldier deployed in Afghanistan.

It concerns me when I watch the news because I feel our freedoms are being taken away every day. I think a lot of Americans are just asleep, said Debbie Gager, who was not affiliated with any of the groups at the rally.

Music was provided by Scott Gager, who performed a song he co-wrote with his wife. Red and Blue is about the divided political nature of the country.

The countrys economic health is what concerns FairTax New Jersey volunteer Doug Dash, who considers the U.S. tax code and the Internal Revenue Service to be the single largest impediment to prosperity and the creation of America-based private jobs.

We want America to be the best place to do business, the best place to manufacture, the best place to work, and a magnet for jobs instead of a country which is hemorrhaging jobs to countries all over the world. None of these things are going to happen, Dash said.

The rally was held the day after a county-sponsored gun buyback event at Abundant Life Fellowship Church in Edgewater Park. That event was protested by Bill Moore and Carole Lokan Moore, an outspoken Republican couple from Edgewater Park who also attended Sundays rally.

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Freedom Rally draws gun, tax activists to Medford

Freedom Financial Network Ups Debt Resolutions, Adds Staff in First Quarter

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Credit advocate surpasses $2 billion in all-time debt resolved

San Mateo, Calif. (PRWEB) April 16, 2013

The amount resolved represents an increase of 11.5 percent over the previous quarter. With the $137.3 million of resolved debt in the quarter, FFN surpassed $2 billion in total debt negotiated since 2002.

The company negotiated the first-quarter resolutions on 23,806 individual creditor accounts up 11.7 percent while assisting more than 18,000 clients. FFNs results equate to negotiating $1.49 million of debt each day throughout the quarter, or more than $62,183 each hour.

In addition, FFN added 68 employees at its San Mateo, Calif., headquarters and in its office in Tempe, Ariz., during the quarter.

The growth FFN is seeing confirms the companys status as the industry leader, said Andrew Housser, co-founder and CEO of FFN. FFN continues to add staff who can effectively help clients work their way out of debt, while fully adhering to the Federal Trade Commission Advance Fee Ban. The ban went into effect in 2010.

FFN is a consumer credit advocate that negotiates directly with creditors on consumers behalf to resolve debt balances. Offering an alternative to credit counseling, debt consolidation and bankruptcy, the companys debt relief program helps clients resolve their unsecured debt, often in 24 to 48 months.

Freedom Financial Network (http://www.freedomfinancialnetwork.com)

Freedom Financial Network, LLC (FFN), provides comprehensive consumer credit advocacy services. Through its Freedom Debt Relief, Freedom Tax Relief and ConsolidationPlus products, FFN works as an independent advocate to provide comprehensive financial solutions, including debt settlement, debt resolution and tax resolution services for consumers struggling with debt. The company, which has resolved more than $2 billion in debt for more than 150,000 clients since 2002, is an accredited member of the American Fair Credit Council, and a platinum member of the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators. The company holds the Goldline Research Preferred Provider certification for excellence among debt relief companies.

Based in San Mateo, Calif., FFN also operates an office in Tempe, Ariz. The company, with more than 550 employees, was voted one of the best places to work in the San Francisco Bay area in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013, and in the Phoenix area in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. FFNs founders received the Northern California Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2008.

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Freedom Financial Network Ups Debt Resolutions, Adds Staff in First Quarter

Arizona tax-freedom day arrives 5 days earlier

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Arizonas tax burden appears to be easing this year, even as the national tax bill rises, according to a new study.

Arizonas tax freedom day arrived five days earlier this year, on April 5, than it did in 2012, the Tax Foundation reported. The nations tax-freedom day comes five days later this year, on April 18, the Tax Foundation reported.

The group cited higher personal income taxes from the fiscal cliff budget deal and expiration of a payroll-tax holiday for the increased federal levy this year. New taxes associated with the Affordable Care Act also played a role in lengthening the nations average tax burden.

Tax-freedom day is an illustration of how long it would take to pay all state, local and federal taxes, assuming those taxes are paid before other expenses. Along with taxes, it also is a function of how much taxable income or revenue residents earn. In that sense, Arizonas lower burden could reflect falling property values and other fallout from the recent economic downturn.

Property values track at least a year behind, said Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association.

Also, Arizonans personal income has been muted another factor that could be contributing to the lessened burden.

The recession hit Arizona harder than nearly any other state, which could explain why the burden went down, McCarthy said.

Although a temporary 1-cent-per-dollar increase in the statewide sales tax will end this spring, there havent been any legislative tax cuts that would explain the lessened tax burden, McCarthy said.

Elizabeth Malm, an economist at the Tax Foundation who helped compile the study, also said discrepancies in the timing of tax and economic data received for the various states could be a factor. The large change is likely due to revisions in federal data not being reflected, she wrote in a note.

Connecticut this year has the latest tax-freedom day, equating to the heaviest tax burden. It wont come in that state until May 13. Mississippi and Louisana tied for the earliest tax-freedom day, March 29.

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Arizona tax-freedom day arrives 5 days earlier

Freedom House to shut down for good

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Posted on: 9:58 pm, April 14, 2013, by Shelby Brown, updated on: 06:31am, April 15, 2013

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) Its been a fixture in the community, providing food and shelter for our areas homeless. Now workers with Freedom House are preparing for the doors to close for good. Due to lack of funding, Freedom House leaders decided to cease operations by the end of April.

The Board of Directors said it could no longer financially support; the Conrad Center, a feeding program; the Community shelter, a transitional housing service and Seans Place, a housing program that supports permanent relocation.

Board chairman Mark Cipolletti said members are devastated it came to this. He said the financial challenges couldnt be overcome. He said their biggest concern is that many of the people they serve are homeless men and women who have higher barriers like those who are trying to overcome addictions and clients who are just out of jail.

Cipolletti said theyre now on a mission to transition their clients to other housing services and to agencies that can afford to feed those in need.

Not only the economy, but money from faith-based organizations has gone down as they struggle to get their own donations from their congregations. Donations from individual donors are down as well, so its coming at us from multiple angles, Cipolletti said.

Ronald Miller is sad to see the agency close its doors. He was once homeless and in 2008 was taken in by the people who run Freedom House.

Miller said hes tried to pay it forward since then and has worked part-time at The Conrad Center helping out as a day shelter worker.

There, the Soup Kitchen feeds thousands of people every year. In fact, 48,000 meals were served to the homeless from2010-2011.

Miller said hes praying for a miracle and hopes that corporate entities and others in the community would rally to keep Freedom House closing.

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Freedom House to shut down for good

Freedom to Marry Partners with Cellar Angels for Wine Charity Event to Support Marriage

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CHICAGO, April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to raise national awareness surrounding the importance of why marriage matters for loving and committed same-sex couples, Freedom to Marry is partnering with online wine company Cellar Angels for an unprecedented wine event.

Cellar Angels is the only cause-based wine company combining private and exclusive weekly wine offers with custom videos of the winery and an opportunity for the consumer to select a contribution recipient. Beginning April 16 and lasting only five days, Freedom to Marry will become a selection choice for consumers. In honor of the event, Cellar Angels is featuring an exclusive wine: Same Sex Meritage.

Same Sex Meritage is a collaboration between longtime Napa Valley winemaker Josh Stein and the originator of the Same Sex Meritage label Matt Gold out of Chicago. Josh is not foreign to cause-based wines. For more than a decade Stein Family Wines has donated percentages of cases sold to assist families of vineyard workers throughout Napa Valley.

When approached by Same Sex Meritage creator Matt Gold it was an easy decision for Josh, who said "Matt came to me with a very unique idea of producing a Bordeaux style wine to support the Civil Rights issue of Same Sex Marriage. I said 'Yes' on the spot as this is truly a historic moment for the country and I wanted to honor it with a special wine." The wine, a "Meritage" is a blend of the five traditional grapes of Bordeaux France: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot and Malbec.

The wine's origin is attributed to Gold, a Chicago businessman who works within the wine industry.

"The easiest way to impart positive change is to use something you know as a tool. I know wine and believe using it as a tool to generate contributions on this issue will have a dramatic impact," he said.

Gold and Stein are collaborating on other styles of wine under the label including a sparkling and a Moscato - to create further awareness. This is the first time the wine is available on a national scale. Previous test placements in Chicago and California quickly sold out as the quality of fruit sourced for the wine demonstrated this is more than just a marketing ploy. Same Sex Meritage chose Cellar Angels as a platform to make it easier for consumers to bypass the middle-man and get their wine direct and at lower prices than retail.

Cellar Angels is the nation's fastest growing wine marketing company providing consumers unprecedented access to the best wines from Napa and Sonoma Valley. As consumer sentiment increases for greater transparency on where their food comes from, it appears this same focus is shifting to wine. Cellar Angels provides wine lovers both a behind the scenes look at the winery and winemakers and also the chance to give back at the same time. Cellar Angels membership is free at http://www.cellarangels.com and each week the site features a small, artisan producer of highly acclaimed wine discounted for a period of five days in order to raise money for twenty different causes.

"We've featured Josh's Stein Family Wines in the past and they've always been well received by our members. He's meticulous in his vineyard selection and the 'price-to-quality' ratio is always exceptional. When we were approached with this project it was an absolute no-brainer. We believe everyone is entitled to great wine and equal civil rights. We're delighted to make it all happen," said Cellar Angels founder and CEO Martin.

Cellar Angels donates portions of proceeds to each charity selected and works with charities to help them raise more contributions. In addition to national charity partners The V Foundation, Jenny McCarthy's Generation Rescue and Leeza Gibbons' Lezza's Place, Cellar Angels works with regional and local charities to create awareness. For this event only, members will have the added benefit of selecting Freedom to Marry as a funds recipient. In addition to the Cellar Angels contribution, Same Sex Meritage will donate $1 for every bottle sold to Freedom to Marry.

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Freedom to Marry Partners with Cellar Angels for Wine Charity Event to Support Marriage


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