Freedom and independence

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IN Bristol's fast-changing educational landscape there remains one certainty year after year the number of city schools operating as academies will rise.

More and more schools now have the status which brings greater freedoms and the ability to act independently, with their funding being channelled directly from central Government rather than via the city council.

As the number of secondary academies begins to plateau, the biggest growth this year has come in the primary sector.

And the trend for the number of schools opting for academy status is showing no sign of slowing down.

While the anticipated changes in the political make-up of the country next year may see the collapse of the free school programme in its current form, the academy system is likely to remain in place whichever of the two largest parties seize power.

The two academy chains going from strength to strength in Bristol are regional chain the Cabot Learning Federation and national group Oasis Community Learning.

Both have blown a breath of fresh air into several schools which were previously struggling, bringing success to institutions which their local communities had lost faith in.

And both have added to their family of schools this academic year in a mission to replicate success already achieved elsewhere.

In February, Oasis is set to take over the running of Brislington Enterprise College.

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Freedom and independence

Story behind Freedom Rock that you haven't heard

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The man behind the Freedom Rock project found even more respect for the soldiers he honors this summer.

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Ray "Bubba" Sorensen has made headlines for years first with painting of the Freedom Rock and now painting rock memorials in counties around Iowa -- all to honor veterans.

"For him to be able to have this talent and share it in this special way is just really wonderful," said Pat Eberly of Clarinda.

Sorensen started painting the Freedom Rock every year, 15 years ago.

"Maybe kids going by the rock, maybe they'd ask their parents about it. Maybe they'd learn something about it," Sorensen told KCCI in 2004.

That interview was before 9/11 and before Iowans convinced Sorensen to create other Freedom Rocks around the state like in Earling, Diagonal, Bondurant, Corning and more. Eventually, he wants a Freedom Rock in all 99 counties.

"You know my three goals in starting the tour were thanking our veterans, promoting Iowa tourism and feeding my family," said Sorensen.

He has been on the road all summer working to add a new county every couple of weeks, but on the Fourth of July that all changed when his 3-year-old daughter, Independence, had a seizure.

"I looked at her face and her eyes were just darting to the left and her left side was just shaking," said Maria Sorensen, Ray's wife.

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Story behind Freedom Rock that you haven't heard

Hillman's Celebrity Eco Lodge gathering interest

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HILLMAN - Plans for a Celebrity Eco Lodge and Outdoor Retreat in the Hillman area are moving along according to Chief Executive officer of Celebrity Black Card, LLC Bob Olejar. The Lodge will be the first of its kind and designed to invite celebrities to northeastern lower Michigan free of charge in exchange for tweets, Instagram photos and other social media posts promoting responsible, ecological friends, construction and an active outdoor lifestyle.

"This is our passion project," Olejar said. "We want to get celebrities to go there and tweet about enjoying the outdoors and doing activities outside. Because of the power celebrities have, we hope this will encourage people and kids to do more outdoor activities and stop with the sedentary lifestyle that has become so popular in today's society."

So far, interest in the lodge is growing among celebrities, and around 30 celebrities have already signed on to stay at the lodge.

"This week we started taking requests from celebrities to come to the Eco Lodge," Olejar said. "We revealed the project backstage at the premier of Dancing with the Stars and had several cast members and celebrity audience members signup to come stay at the lodge when it is completed."

Some of the celebrities already signed up to visit the lodge include Allison Holker, Emma Slater, Karina Smirnoff, Val Chmerkovskiy and Henry Byalikov from Dancing with the Stars. Others from previous seasons include race car driver Michael Waltrip, Pretty Little Liars star Janel Parrish, Youtube sensation Bethany Mota and Alfonso Ribeiro from the Fresh Prince of Bel Aire.

Additional celebrities slated to visit northern Michigan include Justin Hartley of Revenge fame, Motown singer Smokey Robinson, Insider host Keltie Knight, and Ralph Macchio of Karate Kid fame.

"We didn't tell celebrities about the location of the lodge until last week, and once they knew the location, they were interested," Olejar said. "Any of the celebrities on the list can schedule a time at the lodge within the next three years, and we've already seen posts starting on Twitter about the lodge. With all the celebrities signing up already, we're proving our concept that celebrities want to stay there."

Construction for the around 1,500 square foot lodge is expected to begin in spring, and due to suggestions by several of those interested, Celebrity Black Card, LLC has decided to add an additional bedroom onto the lodge.

The company is currently looking for a company to build the barn on the lot, along with companies to provide the cement for the foundations of each building. The lodge will have a large variety of brand sponsors that donate items and eco material sponsors for the construction of the building. It will be built completely from material and monitory donations.

Celebrity Black Card, LLC was founded in 2011, and is a direct celebrity product placement company that works with hundreds of brands and celebrities in the Los Angeles areas. To donate to the Celebrity Eco Lodge or learn more about this project, visit the Celebrity Eco Lodge Facebook page or contact Olejar at ecolodge@celebrityblackcard.com.

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Hillman's Celebrity Eco Lodge gathering interest

MK9: Cold Cyborg! VS mario-couller! Cyber Sub-Zero VS Liu/Raiden/Stryker! Mortal Kombat Fights 2014 – Video

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MK9: Cold Cyborg! VS mario-couller! Cyber Sub-Zero VS Liu/Raiden/Stryker! Mortal Kombat Fights 2014
Fights with my favourite Cyborg in MK Tags: Mortal Kombat, 2014, raiden, combo, fights, tournament, mk9, mkw, clan, mkw_thunder, thunderless, thunderone, ...

By: MKW THUNDERONE

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MK9: Cold Cyborg! VS mario-couller! Cyber Sub-Zero VS Liu/Raiden/Stryker! Mortal Kombat Fights 2014 - Video

'Cyborg' drops to bantamweight in December; could Ronda Rousey fight be far behind?

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Updated SEP 22, 2014 2:09p ET

A potential fight between Ronda Rousey and Cris "Cyborg" Justino is closer than it has ever been.

Justino will officially drop down to the women's bantamweight division for Invicta FC's event Dec. 5, the UFC announced Monday. The card will air live on UFC Fight Pass. Justino's opponent has not been made official.

The fact that the UFC is promoting Justino's appearance on its digital network speaks volumes about the potential of an eventual bout with Rousey in 2015. Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp wouldn't stand in the way of the fight happening -- she predicted it would go down inside of 2014 before the year started.

For the past two years, Rousey-Justino has been the biggest-drawing women's bout the UFC could put on. Rousey, the UFC women's champion, has thrown shade at Cyborg every chance she gets. Justino has done the same. There's little doubting that the two are the best female fighters in the world. Cyborg, the former Invicta FC and Strikeforce 145-pound champion, has not lost an MMA bout since 2005 and has finished all but two of her opponents.

The two things standing in the way of it happening have been Justino's weight class (previously 145 pounds) and her history with performance-enhancing drugs. The former should be taken care of in December, though Cyborg has said multiple times in the past that a cut to 135 would be dangerous to her health. UFC president Dana White has made a major issue of her being stripped of the Strikeforce title for testing positive for steroids in 2011.

But past PED usage has never been a deal-breaker in MMA. Interestingly, Vitor Belfort, the poster boy for the now-banned testosterone replacement therapy, will be challenging for the UFC middleweight title against Chris Weidman on Dec. 6, one day after Cyborg competes for Invicta FC.

The undefeated Rousey, coming off a 16-second destruction of Alexis Davis in July, wants to get back into the Octagon at UFC on Jan. 3. The timing wouldn't be right for a Cyborg bout then, but Rousey could meet Bethe Correia, Gina Carano or even Cat Zingano, if Zingano beats Amanda Nunes at UFC 178 on Saturday.

Could Justino be next after that? It'll all depend on how the weight cut goes and whether she wins in December, of course.

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'Cyborg' drops to bantamweight in December; could Ronda Rousey fight be far behind?

'Cyborg' to make bantamweight debut

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Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justino is targeting a fight with UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey Getty Images

Invicta FC featherweight champion Cristiane Justino, aka 'Cyborg', plans to make her bantamweight debut December 5 against a to-be-determined opponent.

The bout will likely headline Invicta FC 10, which will air on Fight Pass, the UFC's Internet subscription service. No venue has been announced for the event.

A 145-pound titleholder in multiple promotions, Justino (12-1) has been targeting a drop to the 135-pound division all year, with hopes of fighting UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in early 2015.

Justino, 29, has not fought a professional mixed martial arts contest this year but did compete for a Muay Thai title at 145 pounds in March. She lost via unanimous decision to Jorina Baars.

Previously, Justino had expressed doubt about whether she could make the 135-pound bantamweight limit. The Brazilian fighter changed her mind this year, however, and swore to make the weight three times - once to prove she could do it and then twice for two Rousey title fights.

UFC president Dana White has remained noncommittal on signing Justino, whom he tried to come to a multi-fight deal agreement with early last year.

Justino's last fight ended in a fourth-round TKO victory over Marloes Coenen at Invicta FC 6 in July 2013.

Justino and Rousey (10-0) have gone back and forth in the media for years. Justino has accused Rousey of ducking her in the cage. Rousey has criticised Justino as a cheater, referring to a failed drug test Justino submitted after a victory over Hiroko Yamanaka in December 2011.

In addition to the Justino fight, officials announced that the all-female promotion's next event, Invicta FC 9, will take place on November 1 at the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa. A flyweight title bout between Barb Honchak (9-2) and Takayo Hashi (15-4-1) will headline the card.

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'Cyborg' to make bantamweight debut

The beaches of Tel Aviv, Israel: Frishman and Gordon, two of the most popular beaches in Israel – Video

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The beaches of Tel Aviv, Israel: Frishman and Gordon, two of the most popular beaches in Israel
Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahigo25@walla.com 9726905522 tel 0546905522 My name is Zahi...

By: Zahi Shaked. Israeli tour guide

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The beaches of Tel Aviv, Israel: Frishman and Gordon, two of the most popular beaches in Israel - Video

Hospitality beaches | +64 368 6766 | Levin Manawatu, Horowhenua | 5510 – Video

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Hospitality beaches | +64 368 6766 | Levin Manawatu, Horowhenua | 5510
Experience Kiwi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnfKwNEcp0c heartland hospitality on the Nature Coast - a place to stop, relax and take your time. Chris Barbara invite you to unwind at Serendipity...

By: Chris Lloyd

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Hospitality beaches | +64 368 6766 | Levin Manawatu, Horowhenua | 5510 - Video