Freedom Center open on Easter Sunday

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Updated: Monday, April 1 2013 8:23 PM EDT2013-04-02 00:23:35 GMT

Updated: Monday, April 1 2013 7:24 PM EDT2013-04-01 23:24:26 GMT

The National Underground Freedom Center will stay open on Sunday to give families a final chance to see a special exhibition.

Women Hold Up Half the Sky is a one-of-a-kind exhibition based on the New York Times best-selling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wu-Dunn. The book is part of the "Half the Sky" movement, which also includes a PBS documentary.

Co-author Nicholas Kristof was at the Freedom Center on march 2 when he received the International Freedom Conductor Award along with Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth.

The exhibition uses paintings, quilts, photos, videos and audio experiences to share the stories of women across the globe who are overcoming oppression through economics and self-determination.

The exhibit focuses on three main themes- overcoming gender-based violence through entrepreneurism, maternal health and human trafficking.

Visitors will leave informed on the issues facing women today. They can also learn ways to get involved in the movement.

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Freedom Center open on Easter Sunday

U.S. accuses Egypt of stifling freedom of expression

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday accused Egypt of muzzling freedom of speech after prosecutors questioned the most popular Egyptian television satirist over allegations he insulted President Mohamed Mursi and Islam.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also suggested the Egyptian authorities were selectively prosecuting those accused of insulting the government while ignoring or playing down attacks on anti-government demonstrators.

Bassem Youssef, who rose to fame with a satirical online show after the uprising that swept autocrat Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011, turned himself in on Sunday after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for the comedian on Saturday.

Youssef, whose program is now on television and has been compared to U.S. satirist Jon Stewart's the Daily Show, is accused of insulting Islam and undermining Mursi's standing.

"We have concerns that freedom of expression is being stifled," Nuland told reporters at her daily briefing, citing Youssef's arrest and his subsequent release on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,200) on Sunday.

In what seemed a gesture of defiance, Youssef arrived at the prosecutor general's office on Sunday wearing an oversized graduation hat modeled on one donned by Mursi when he was awarded an honorary degree in Pakistan in March.

The prosecutor general issued the warrant after at least four legal complaints filed by supporters of Mursi, a Muslim Brotherhood politician who was freely elected last June.

Referring to Youssef's case, Nuland added: "This, coupled with recent arrest warrants issued for other political activists, is evidence of a disturbing trend of growing restrictions on freedom of expression."

"The government of Egypt seems to be investigating these cases while it has been slow or inadequate in investigating attacks on demonstrators outside of the presidential palace in December 2012, other cases of extreme police brutality and illegally blocked entry of journalists," she added. "There does not seem to be an even-handed application of justice here."

Egypt has been in a state of political turmoil since the ouster of Mubarak, a long-time U.S. ally. The political uncertainty and growing street crime has deterred tourism, a key driver of the Egyptian economy.

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U.S. accuses Egypt of stifling freedom of expression

Freedom in the 50 States: Utah makes top 10; New York comes in last

The Mercatus Center released the latest Freedom in the 50 States report Thursday, giving a new and updated ranking of all 50 American states based on how their policies promote freedom in the fiscal, regulatory and personal realms.

The concept of freedom used in the report, the authors said, is that of individual rights.

"In our view, individuals should be allowed to dispose of their lives, liberties and property as they see fit, so long as they do not infringe on the rights of others," the study FAQ said. "The understanding of freedom follows from the natural-rights liberal thought of John Locke, Immanuel Kant and Robert Nozick, but is also consistent with the rights-generating rule-utilitarianism of Herbert Spencer and others."

Utah makes an appearance in the top 10 most free states for the first time this year, while states like New York, California and New Jersey remain firmly established as the least free states in the U.S.

Here's a look at the 10 highest-ranking states and the 10 lowest-ranking states on this year's personal freedom index.

>> Read Jay Evensen's perspective on the Freedom in the 50 States ranking

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Freedom in the 50 States: Utah makes top 10; New York comes in last

Kentucky’s religious freedom bill divided politicians, public, ministers

By Jack Brammerand Beth Musgrave jbrammer@herald-leader.combmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT The Rev. Patrick Delahanty of Louisville says he thinks the new state law dubbed the Religious Freedom Act is needed.

"I want the state to meet the highest bar in its ability to interfere with one's religion," said Delahanty, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, which backed the bill.

But the Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper of Lexington says the new law "teeters on the verge of religious fascism" and thinks it will open the doors for people to discriminate against others in the name of God.

Kemper, minister of New Union Christian Church in Woodford County and former director of the Kentucky Council of Churches, said she was voicing only her opinions and not those of the council or her church.

The strong disagreement between the two well-respected religious leaders underscores what was the most contentious issue in this year's General Assembly House Bill 279.

On the final night of the state legislative session Tuesday, lawmakers in the House and Senate overwhelmingly rebuffed Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear by overriding his veto of the one-paragraph bill that will become law in about three months.

The vote in the House was 79-15; in the Senate, 32-6. Almost all of the legislators siding with the governor were from urban areas or are minorities.

Most lawmakers were afraid politically to let the governor's veto stand, said Democratic consultant Danny Briscoe of Louisville, "because they feared it would hurt their chances of getting re-elected. This state is becoming increasingly conservative, so politicians are reluctant to do anything to go against that trend."

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Covington Mayor Sherry Carran and the Kentucky Association of Counties, the Kentucky League of Cities and more than 50 other groups urged Beshear to veto HB 279.

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Kentucky's religious freedom bill divided politicians, public, ministers