July 25, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom Florence, KY-The Florence Freedom (32-28) couldn't hang onto a 6-1 lead entering the 9th inning on Tuesday night as the Lake Erie Crushers(33-27)stormed back for a 6 run 9th inning to tie the game, and eventually won it in extra innings. The Crushers defeated the Freedom 8-7 in 12 innings to avoid the three game sweep by the Freedom.

Florence led the entire ballgame as they struck for four runs in the 1st inning against Crusher All-Star Paul Fagan. Junior Arrojo reached base on an infield single and later scored on an RBI double by Peter Fatse. Several batters later, David Harris took Fagan deep over the left field wall for a three run homer. It was Harris's fourth long ball of the season and it gave the Freedom a 4-0 lead.

Brent Choban a rookie left hander made his professional debut on the mound for the Freedom and pitched very well through the first 5 innings of the contest. He gave up his only run of the game in the 4th on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Bowman scoring Andrew Davis. The former Ohio Bobacat went five innings allowing 4 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts. The Freedom padded their lead in the 4th, as Arrojo hit a bases loaded two run single scoring Kyle Bluestein and Edwin Padua to give them a 6-1 cushion.

The Crushers would give the Freedom a taste of their own medicine a day after Florence came back from a 5 run deficit, as the Crushers rallied against the Freedom bullpen by sending ten men to the plate against Matt Kline, and Brennan Flick. Kline struck out pinch hitter Kyle Weldon to begin the frame, but after that the game swung in the direction of Lake Erie. Adrian Ortiz got one of his four hits in the 9th, and then Robby Kuzdale drew a walk with the next batter Jason Taylor being hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded, Kline then walked Russell Moldenhauer forcing home Ortiz to make it a 6-2 game. Flick was then summoned out of the bullpen, however he gave up an RBI single to Andrew Davis to cut the lead in half. Then it was Bowman striking for a two run single to make it 6-5. Davis would later score in the inning on a wild pitch to tie the game at 6-6. J.C. Figueroa who entered the game as a defensive replacement then lined a single into center field to give the Crushers a 7-6 lead. John Mallloy threw out Kellen Kulbacki who was attempting to score on the play as well.

The Freedom tied the game in the bottom of the 9th, as Peter Fatse led off the inning with a solo shot, his sixth of the season. The homer came against Crusher closer Jonathan Kountis who then retired the next three batters to send the game into extra innings.

The decision to insert Figueroa into the game proved to be the difference in this game, as the Lake Erie second baseman proved to be the hero on this night. Facing Jorge Marban with one out, Figueroa hit a solo homer, his first of the season into the Freedom bullpen to give the Crushers an 8-7 lead. Despite giving up the homer and taking the loss, Marban(1-4) pitched well in 3 innings, striking out 5. Crusher reliever Mickey Janis also went deep out of the bullpen covering the last 3 innings. The Freedom had the tying runner at 2nd base in the 12, but Janis struck out Pierre LePage to end the game.

The Freedom will travel to Washington, PA Wednesday night for a three game series with the Wild Things. LHP Andres Caceris (5-2, 4.55) will start for the Freedom while RHP Gary Lee(4-3, 2.61) starts for Washington. Wednesday's game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 6:50 pm on Real Talk 1160 and realtalk1160.com.

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Freedom Fall in Extra Innings to Crushers

July 23, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom Florence, KY-The Florence Freedom rallied for an enormous 10-9 victory over the Lake Erie Crushers Monday afternoon on "super splash day" at the Home of the Florence Freedom.

Drew Rundle's three run homerun in the 7th gave the Freedom a late inning lead that they never relinquished. Rundle's homer came with the Freedom trailing 8-6, as they also got a clutch performance from Pierre LePage, who came in as a defensive replacement for Peter Fatse. LePage went 3-4 with 3 RBI including an RBI single in the 8th which gave the Freedom a 10-8 lead. That RBI proved to be pivotal because Andrew Davis of Lake Erie launched a 9th inning homer over the right field wall against Brennan Flick to cut the lead to 10-9. Flick stayed composed on the mound though to retire the final two batters and notch his second save in as many nights.

Lake Erie built a 7-2 lead after the first two innings against Freedom starter Scott Moviel. The Crushers took advantage of Moviel's wildness, as he walked 6 batters in 1.2 innings on the hill. The Freedom chipped away at the Crushers lead in the 4th inning. Kyle Bluestein made his professional debut and got his first pro hit on an RBI single in the inning. Edwin Padua followed with an RBI hit as well, and then LePage lined a two run single to cut the Crushers lead to 7-6.

Sean Gregory was a part of a bullpen that pitched the final 7.1 innings of the game, only allowing two runs. Gregory earned the win after throwing 2.1 innings and only giving up 1 hit. Mike Hanley preceded him with 3 solid innings, as Matt Kline and Flick also contributed in the bullpen heroics.

The Freedom will go for the series sweep against Lake Erie Tuesday night. LHP Paul Fagan(6-3, 2.76) will start for the Crushers while LHP Brent Choban will make his professional debut for the Freedom. Tuesday's game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 6:50 pm on Real Talk 1160 and realtalk1160.com.

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Freedom Get Late Comeback Win over Lake Erie

23 July 2012 Last updated at 10:29 ET

There are calls for Bradley Wiggins to be given the Freedom of the City of Westminster after his historic Tour de France win.

The 32-year-old cyclist sealed Britain's first Tour victory on Sunday and now councillors want to honour him.

He grew up in Maida Vale and used places such as Hyde Park and Paddington Recreation Ground to train in.

A Westminster City Council spokesman said giving Wiggins the award "is something we are keenly looking at".

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, leader of Westminster Council's Labour group, said: "Bradley Wiggins is the most fantastic sportsman and it all started in Maida Vale.

"Westminster City Council should honour this most dedicated sportsman for his achievement as the first Briton to win the Tour de France, as well as his magnificent Olympic medals.

"Bradley Wiggins is a great role model for young people and the council should award this honour in Olympic year 2012."

One of the Maida Vale councillors, Alastair Moss, Conservative, said: "Bradley Wiggins has scored a historic sporting victory and inspired huge pride across the country - no more so than in his home turf of Westminster and Maida Vale.

"Recognising Bradley's outstanding achievement through the Freedom of Westminster award is something we are keenly looking at."

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Freedom award call for Wiggins

ATLANTA, July 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The U.S. Department of Defense named Delta Air Lines (DAL) a 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipient. With more than 3,000 nominations submitted, Delta is one of 15 employers awarded the Department of Defense's highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090202/DELTALOGO)

"The Freedom Award is a great honor and even more special because Delta was nominated by a co-worker and Air Force Reservist," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "Supporting the 3,000 Delta people who serve our nation has long been part of our culture and is one of many ways we strive to make Delta a great place to work. Our commitment extends to the millions of servicemen and women who fly with us throughout the year, and to our veterans. Delta will always be there to support you."

Delta supports its people serving in the Guard and Reserve by offering health and welfare benefits, and travel privileges during and upon return from military service.

Delta employees often recognize military service members in uniform by providing First Class/Business Elite upgrades when seats are available, allowing priority boarding, providing complimentary access to the more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs nationwide, and by publicly thanking members of the military onboard. Delta flight attendants have been recognized for sending journals filled with customer messages to men and women stationed overseas, and for sending care baskets. And at more than a dozen U.S. airports, Delta employees administer volunteer honor guards when transporting the remains of military service personnel, complete with flag ceremonies and specially themed patriotic ground equipment.

Delta has pledged to hire more veterans by 2020 as part of its participation in the 100,000 Jobs Mission. As part of this commitment, Delta sponsored the 2011 the Gracie Mansion Veterans Day Breakfast hosted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and the Veterans Day Parade, both held in New York City.

In addition, Delta is a longstanding supporter of military support organizations such as the Fisher House Foundation and United Service Organization, and has donated millions of SkyMiles through the SkyWish program to provide airline travel for families of men and women in uniform.

Since 1996, only 160 employers have received the Freedom Award. Delta is the first airline to receive the Freedom Award in a decade.

The 2012 honorees will be recognized at the 17th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 20, 2012.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic "Airline of the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology and won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to nearly 350 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

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Delta Receives Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

July 22, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom O'Fallon,MO-The Florence Freedom and River City Rascals played a four hour and nine minute game, as the Rascals outslugged the Freedom 14-10. On top of the four hour plus game, there was a twenty minute delay in the top of the 6th as home plate umpire Bill Lopina was injured on a foul ball off the bat of Jim Jacquot, which forced him to leave the game, as field umpire Jeremy Stangelo umpired the remainder of the contest.

The Freedom had leads of 5-2, 7-2, and 9-8, but couldn't hang on as they were dealt their fourth straight series loss. John Malloy went 3-5 with 3 RBI, including two solo homeruns, one of which led off the game which was the second time he accomplished this during the three game series.

After the Freedom tied the game at 10-10, the Rascals loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8th against relief pitcher Sean Gregory. With one out, Matt Kline was brought in to face Chris Andreas. Andreas eventually won a lengthy battle as he hit a SAC fly to right field scoring Eric Williams, which proved to be the game winning run. The Rascals then got some insurance runs in the inning on a three run homerun from Curran Redal to put them up for good 14-10. Gregory(4-5) took the loss as he was making his first appearance out of the bullpen this year.

The Freedom return to Florence for a brief three game homestand starting Sunday night against the Lake Erie Crushers. RHP Pat Arnold(3-2, 5.05) will get the ball for the Crushers, as Brandon Mathes(0-0, 5.45) will make his first start of the season for the Freedom. Sunday's game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 5:50 pm on Real Talk 1160 and realtalk1160.com.

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Freedom Drop Marathon Game to River City

Kanpur:Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal has died in a Kanpur hospital; she was 97. She was in a coma since Wednesday when she had a heart stroke. She was a close aide of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

There will be no cremation ceremony held as her body has been donated to the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical College in Kanpur.

Captain Lakshmi Sahgal was born in Madras and qualified as a doctor from the Madras Medical College in 1938. Two years later, she moved to Singapore and set up a free clinic to help migrant Indian workers. She met Subhash Chandra Bose in Singapore in 1943. He spoke of the need to create an all- women's regiment in the Indian National Army in the fight for India's independence, and made her its commander.

In 1947, she married Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal. Their oldest child, Subhasini, is a prominent social activist and CPM leader. The Sahgals were settled in Kanpur where she continued her work as a doctor. In 1971, Sahgal joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and represented the party in the Rajya Sabha.

In 2002, four leftist parties - the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the All India Forward Bloc - made her their candidate for President of India. She was defeated by APJ Abdul Kalam.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Vice President Hamid Ansari today condoled the death of freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, saying that the nation has lost an icon of selfless service. (Read)

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Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal dies

By Gracie Bonds Staples

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Despite the model minority stereotype that presumes all Asian-Americans are prosperous and well educated, Keish Kims family is not well-to-do and she cant get into her dream college.

The first blow to Kims quest for success came when the lawyer hired by her family to handle their immigration from Seoul, South Korea, in 2000 (when Kim was 8) missed a crucial deadline, making it impossible for them to attain citizenship. The second came in 2010 when the state Board of Regents barred illegal immigrants from attending the states top five universities.

But not long after the regents made their decision, Kim found herself receiving instruction from University of Georgia professors at Freedom University, an underground classroom for illegal immigrants provided by volunteer teachers at an undisclosed location in Athens.

We were all qualified professors, so we thought that is something we can do, said history professor Pamela Voekel, a co-founding faculty member of Freedom University. All it would take was our time and effort, while the students and their families were risking so much.

While the volunteers at Freedom University hope the regents eventually change their policy, many Georgians support the rule, believing that for every illegal person attending a public university, a U.S. citizen is turned away.

And, as regents spokesman John Millsaps said, There are 30 other public institutions in the University System of Georgia that undocumented students can attend.

However, some believe the policy should go farther. Earlier this year Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, sponsored a bill that, had it passed, would have barred illegal immigrants from attending all public colleges.

Thousands of Gwinnett students cant get into the University of Georgia because its full, said Rep. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, who supported the bill. People who are legal in the state should be getting positions before people who are illegal.

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Freedom University helps immigrants achieve dreams

July 22, 2012 Updated Jul 20, 2012 at 4:47 PM PDT

Talk to Rylee Stark for a few minutes and you can learn a lot about her.

"I am 8-years-old, my favorite color is pink, and I do like fashion, a lot," she says.

Part of her fashion is a little pink pocket on her tank top she's wearing, that hides a secret.

"I'm able to do hula hoop, and do cartwheels, and I don't have to worry about it falling out," says Rylee

The fashion-meets-function pocket was her mom's idea.

"I wanted something that wouldn't be a conversation piece and would make her feel like everybody else," says Corrie Stark.

And it seems to work.

Watching Rylee play soccer and run around in her back yard, you'd never know this little girl with Type 1 diabetes has an insulin pump attached to her abdomen.

"I wanted her to be able to play soccer, jump rope, hula hoop, and ride a bike without worry about it falling out," says her mom. Because if it falls out, it could pull that port out of her stomach."

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Freedom Through Fashion

Freedom drops double-OT thriller at SportsFest

The Freedom boys dropped a 56-53 double-overtime thriller to Bishop McDevitt at SportsFest on Saturday at Cedar Beach Park.

Bishop McDevitt roared out to a 10-0 lead and upped that to 23-6 at the break.

Freedom came back in the second half though, forcing two overtimes before falling.

The Patriots, who won the Stellar Catch A Rising Star Tournament last weekend, will need to battle back through the losers bracket.

Jim Vaughn has highlights from day three at SportsFest.

Copyright 2012 WFMZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Freedom drops double-OT thriller at SportsFest

July 20, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom O'Fallon,MO - The Florence Freedom shutout the River City Rascals Friday night with a 7-0 win. With the victory, the Freedom improved to 29-27 on the season and ended their five game losing streak.

The Freedom jumped out to a 2-0 lead, thanks to a pair of solo homeruns by Eddie Rodriguez and Jim Jacquot. Rodriguez hit his 7th of the year in the 2nd inning while Jacquot launched his 5th long ball of the season in the 4th. Andres Caceres improved to 5-2, as the Freedom starter went 5.1 innings, yielding only 3 hits, while walking 5 and striking out 2.

The Freedom added to their lead in the 8th inning sending eight men to the plate as Esteban Meletiche scored from 3rd on a wild pitch, Peter Fatse hit a bases clearing three run triple, and Rodriguez added a SAC Fly. Victor Gomez led the Freedom offense going 3-3 at the plate. The Freedom got 3.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen from Jose Velazquez, Brennan Flick, and Matt Kline.

The Freedom will go for the series win, as they wrap up their 9 game road Saturday night against the Rascals. Saturday's game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 7:50 pm on Real Talk 1160 and realtalk1160.com.

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Freedom Post Shutout to End Losing Streak

I've been writing about Freedom Investing since my first article. Countries are constantly in flux, and with all the noise of the markets, it is easy for the noise drown out the signal. I've often summarized the concept of Freedom investing with this simple statement: Investing in countries high [...]

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Freedom Investing worth +4.3% over the last twelve months

Johannesburg - Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) preparations for a class action against Transnet and its two pension funds are "at an advanced stage", its parliamentary spokesman Anton Alberts said on Friday.

"We are still waiting for information from the pension funds to finalise the application," he said in a statement.

The party planned to bring the application next month to force Transnet to implement annual increases equivalent to inflation, to compensate pensioners for a decade of below-inflation payments and to ensure the funds were sustainable.

Earlier this week the FF Plus sent legal letters to Transnet for information about its two pension funds, said Alberts.

The party sought the minutes of all meetings held since 1994, and all financial statements.

Transnet has two pension funds: the Transnet Pension Fund and the Transnet Second Defined Benefit Pension Fund.

These were created in 2000 from a predecessor fund with a history of financial hardship.

Since their inception, the pension funds had increased benefits by just 2% per year, well below the inflation rate. Over the years many pensioners had fallen into poverty as a result of the low increases.

"We are... working as fast as possible on the case given the desperate position of the pensioners," Alberts said.

"As soon as the application has been submitted we will be informing everybody, and also launch public protest action (on behalf) of the pensioners."

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Freedom Front Plus to take on Transnet

The BMX track at Camarillo's Freedom Park

BMX riders at Camarillo's Freedom Park

Camarillo's Freedom Park BMX Raceway will be hosting a state championship race Saturday.

Practice and race registration is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with racing to begin after 1.

Admission is free.

As part of the USA BMX Southern California State Championship Series, BMX racers from all over Southern California will be coming to race at Freedom Park for the event.

The weekend action then continues Sunday for the second of the area's state championship races at Santa Barbara's Elings Park BMX Raceway.

Practice and race registration is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with racing to begin after 1.

Richard and Andrea Huvard and partner Frank Marino operate both facilities and have recently partnered with Erick and Lea Kozin of Ventura-based ride and race apparel company, Nema Cycling, to bring yet a third track to the region in Ventura.

With BMX racing about to make its second appearance in the Olympics in London, there's no better time to head out to the tracks to check out the local talent.

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Freedom Park to host BMX state championship race

July 20, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom O'Fallon,MO-The Florence Freedom took an early 2-0 lead against the River City Rascals Thursday night, but the Rascals offense proved to be too powerful, coming away with a 10-7 win over the Freedom. The Rascals improved to 29-26 on the season, while the Freedom fell to 28-27 with their fifth straight loss.

John Malloy started the game off well for Florence, launching a game opening solo homer over the 38 foot wall in right field to put the Freedom ahead 1-0. It was Malloy's 6th homerun of the season. In the same inning, Junior Arrojo doubled, which was one of his three hits on the night. Two batters later, Eddie Rodriguez hit an RBI double scoring Arrojo which gave the Freedom a 2-0 lead. Rodriguez finished the game 3-4 with 2 RBI.

Maxx Catapano who was fresh off the 7 day DL, couldn't maintain the early lead that his offense provided him. In the 1st inning, a wild pitch allowed one run to score, and a throwing error by catcher Jim Jacquot allowed another one to come home to tie the game at 2-2. A two run double by Matt Serna later in the inning extended the Rascal lead to 4-2.

The Rascals built an 8-2 lead against Catapano(4-2), who only went 3.2 innings giving up 10 hits, on 8 earned runs. The Freedom battled back though in the 6th inning. After Rodriguez and Drew Rundle singled, Jacquot walked to load the bases. David Harris then hit one deep into right center field as right fielder Jeremy Synan dropped the ball on the run which allowed Rodriguez and Rundle to score to cut the deficit to 8-4. The Freedom then made it closer in the 7th on a SAC Fly by Peter Fatse, and an RBI single by Rodriguez. The Rascals however, scored twice in the their 7th, as Chris Andreas scored on a wild pitch from Brandon Mathes, and Curran Redal provided an RBI single to push the lead to 10-6.

In the 9th, the Freedom made it interesting against Brandon Cunniff. Arrojo lined a double down the left field line which he later scored on a Rundle RBI single. With two runners on, and with only one out, Cunniff then buckled down to strikeout Jacquot, and get Harris to bounce out into a game ending fielder's choice.

The Freedom and Rascals will continue their series Friday night as Andres Caceres will start for Florence, while River City sends Keli'I Zablan to the mound. Friday's game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 7:50 pm on Real Talk 1160 and realtalk1160.com.

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Freedom's Late Rally Comes up Short

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Citigroup today announced that it has been selected to receive the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense (DoD) agency. Fifteen employers will be honored with this year's Freedom Award, the DoDs highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees. Citi is the only bank to receive the 2012 Freedom Award. These recipients distinguished themselves among the 3,236 nominations submitted earlier this year by Guardsmen and Reservists, or family members acting on their behalf. Thirty employee-service members nominated Citi for the award.

Citi is honored to receive the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, said Vikram Pandit, Citi CEO. The Guard and Reserve are essential to the strength of our nation and the well-being of our communities. We currently employ nearly 2,000 self-identified veterans across our business, and were dedicated to their professional development. In addition, we are working with our businesses and community partners to promote and preserve homeownership for military families and empower them to manage their finances. We are committed to providing Americas veterans and men and women in uniform with professional opportunities and to ensuring that military families around the country have the support they deserve."

Freedom Award recipients go above and beyond what the law requires of Guard and Reserve employers. The nominations for Citi reported that Citi has distinguished itself in supporting members of the Guard and Reservists through its Citi Salutes initiative, which includes employee networks and hiring commitments, including onboarding an additional 1,000 veterans by the end of 2012. In 2011, Citi hired nearly 700 veterans, became a founding member of Veterans on Wall Street and continued its leadership in Joining Forces. Citi also joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerces Veterans Employment Advisory Council and developed a training program to ensure recruiters and hiring managers are equipped to translate military experience into job-specific qualifications.

"On behalf of the Secretary of Defense, I thank the 2012 Freedom Award recipients for taking such exceptional care of the Guard and Reserve members they employ," said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Jessica L. Wright. "Our military could not meet todays national security demands without the Guard and Reserve, who in turn could not provide such dedicated service without the cooperation of their employers at home. These Freedom Award recipients have distinguished themselves nationally for their remarkable efforts, and we greatly appreciate their unwavering support."

A selection board comprised of senior DoD officials, business leaders and prior awardees selected the 15 recipients. Out of the 30 nominations for Citi, a specific nomination from an Air National Guardsman employed by Citibank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was highlighted by the selection board in naming Citi a Freedom Award recipient.

Since 1996, only 160 employers have received the Freedom Award. The 2012 honorees will be recognized at the 17th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on September 20th.

Citi is an official partner of the Military Spouse Employment Partnership, and in 2011 Vikram Pandit signed the Department of Defenses Employer Support of the Guard & Reserve Statement of Support. Citi was also named among the top ten Best for Vets Employers for 2012 by Military Times EDGE.

For more information about the Freedom Award and this years recipients, visit http://www.FreedomAward.mil. For more information about Citis work to support U.S. Armed Service members, veterans and their families, visit http://www.citisalutes.com.

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DoD Names Citi as 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Recipient

By now, you’ve probably heard of “Mr. Won,” or Tesfa Wondemagegnehu, Freedom High School’s award-winning chorus teacher. Last week, during the state Teacher of the Year awards ceremony, Mr. Won racked up another win. At the Macy’s-sponsored event, Mr. Won was presented with the Magic of Teaching Award and a $1,000 Macy’s gift card. Macy’s Magic [...]

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Freedom High’s “Mr. Won” wins another award

by Kyle Szymanski Thepress.Net

Freedom freshman Kelsey Almassey painted the press box in Freedom High Schools football stadium as part of her end-of-the year leadership project.

So when freshman Kelsey Almassey came to him and said she wanted to leave her mark on the school as part of her end-of-the year leadership project, he was hesitant. But when she showed him some of her old drawings, and a design to paint the press box in Freedoms football stadium, he was sold.

Here at Freedom, we try to enable the students to do the best they can, Amaro said. If all of a sudden we realize a project is going to take place that would benefit the entire campus, the best thing we can do is try to eliminate any obstacles.

After 15 hours of work, the press box now reads Freedom Falcons.

I just wanted to make my mark on Freedom, Almassey said. I thought: what better way to do it than to add some school spirit?

Now that the project is complete, and receiving rave reviews from the schools administration, Almassey isnt afraid to admit it was the first time she used outdoor latex paint. It was a lot of work, but it wasnt too awfully difficult, said the student who carries a 4.0 grade point average. After she convinced Amaro and later Principal Erik Faulkner to allow her to carry out the art project, the hard part was over.

To start the project, Almassey laid out the letters on her computer. After enlarging the letters to scale, she stenciled them onto the press box and painted them.

Im proud of her for wanting to add some school spirit to the school, said Nicole Almassey, Kelseys mother. I try to support anything that has to do with school.

Almasseys idea came to life while she visited other schools during her middle school track career. She noticed that most of the tracks press boxes were decorated.

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Freedom freshman leaves indelible mark

Members of the Right to Know Right Now Coalition on Friday urged President Benigno Aquino III to name the Freedom of Information Act a priority bill in his third State of the Nation Address.

The coalition has sent several letters requesting the Presidents endorsement of the bill, including an open letter signed by advocates from over 40 countries, but has yet to receive a reply.

Sa SONA naming hihintayin ang kanyang sagot, Rowena Paraan of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.

The international community is also watching closely whether the President will mention the FOI bill in his SONA, said Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan, the coalitions lead convenor.

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Freedom of information advocates wants Aquino to make FOI bill a priority

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, announced today the 15 recipients of the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the DoDs highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees. These employers distinguished themselves from the 3,236 nominations received from Guardsmen and Reservists, or family members acting on their behalf.

The 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recipients are:

Employer

Freedom Award recipients stand out by going above and beyond what the law requires of Guard and Reserve employers. They go to extraordinary lengths to support their military employees through both formal and informal initiatives. The 2012 recipients have provided such outstanding support as special hiring and career development programs for Guard and Reserve members; maintaining an open door policy for deployed employees family members in need of assistance; and forming internal veterans networks that maintain contact with deployed colleagues, organize care package drives, and advise managers on issues related to employing members of the military.

"On behalf of the Secretary of Defense, I thank the 2012 Freedom Award recipients for taking such exceptional care of the Guard and Reserve members they employ," said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Jessica L. Wright. "Our military could not meet todays national security demands without the Guard and Reserve, who in turn could not provide such dedicated service without the cooperation of their employers at home. These Freedom Award recipients have distinguished themselves nationally for their remarkable efforts, and we greatly appreciate their unwavering support."

A selection board comprised of senior DoD officials, business leaders and prior awardees selected the 15 recipients. Since 1996, only 160 employers have received the Freedom Award. The 2012 honorees will be recognized at the 17th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on September 20th.

For more information about the Freedom Award and this years recipients, visit http://www.FreedomAward.mil.

About ESGR and the Freedom Award:

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of ESGR to recognize exceptional support from the employer community. In the years since, 160 employers have been honored with the award. Established as a DoD agency 40 years ago, ESGR develops and maintains employer support for Guard and Reserve service. ESGR advocates relevant initiatives, recognizes outstanding support, increases awareness of applicable laws, and resolves conflict between service members and employers. Paramount to ESGR's mission is encouraging employment of Guardsmen and Reservists who bring integrity, global perspective and proven leadership to the civilian workforce.

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Department of Defense Announces Recipients of 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

Freedom from Religion, an atheist group based hundreds of miles away in Wisconsin, is making waves in East Tennessee.

It's a name you have likely heard recently. They have made themselves known by questioning prayer at school events and public meetings, Ten Commandment statues, and police patches in East Tennessee.

This year alone, Freedom from Religion has written 39 letters to Tennessee government bodies and school systems asking them to stop their practices and threatening lawsuits. The foundation's focus is to remove religion from government.

Freedom from Religion has more than 19,000 members with 300 of them in Tennessee.Co-president Laurie Annie Gaylor said they have had much success in their more than 30 years of existence. But some East Tennessee governmental bodies seem unfazed by their demands.

They succeeded in getting Lenior City schools to stop praying before school board meetings and football games, but this week the city refused to remove the word religion from their police patch.

Thursday morning, Knox County Commission also rejected their request to stop praying before the meetings. Instead, the Rules Committee recommendeded a written prayer policy to the full commission that Knox County's Law Director, Joe Jarret, said would protect them in a lawsuit.

"I'll have to disagree with their [Freedom from Religion's] interpretation of the law. It is certainly legally permissible for the commission to do so, especially in the matter in which they have done it in the past," said Jarret. Jarret said the law however does draw a line of distinction with schools.

"They pray in the federal House and Senate and in the state House and Senate. It's been a tradition and I don't think we should change it," said Knox County Commission Vice Chairman Brad Anders.

Anders doesn't understand why the group is involved in local affairs.

"I think they need to let communities be the community that they are," he said.

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Who is Freedom from Religion?