Transit to Freedom: How Ordinary Japanese Citizens Helped Jewish Refugees in WWII – Video

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Transit to Freedom: How Ordinary Japanese Citizens Helped Jewish Refugees in WWII
A short documentary showing how thousands of Jewish refugees were saved through Japanese transit visas and gained their freedom with the help of JTB.

By: Visit Japan

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Transit to Freedom: How Ordinary Japanese Citizens Helped Jewish Refugees in WWII - Video

Freedom to Not Choose – The debate over dual nationality | People and Politics – Video

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Freedom to Not Choose - The debate over dual nationality | People and Politics
Germany #39;s new coalition government agreed on the right to dual nationality. Individuals born and raised in Germany but with non-German parents will now be ab...

By: DW (English)

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Freedom to Not Choose - The debate over dual nationality | People and Politics - Video

Prison Inmates in Thailand Fight Foreigners for Their Freedom

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World Thailand Moo, 23, builds muscle for Muay Thai on the Klong Prem prison yard, in Bangkok, Nov. 2013. Aaron Joel Santos

Moo doesnt seem like someone with 23 years of a 24-year sentence left to serve. His career as a driver for a drugs gang ended when he was nabbed piloting a carload of yaba, a methamphetamine derivative that translates literally as crazy drug. Now the 22-year-old spends 13 hours each day with four other men confined along to a 1.5 x 3.5 meter cell. I made a big mistake, says Moo. And Ive paid the price for what I did.

Yet Moo is remarkably upbeat when we meet him in Bangkoks high security Klong Prem Prison, notoriously dubbed the Bangkok Hilton by overseas residents. His levity is due in part to a unique quirk in the Thai correctional system that allows inmates to use their pugilistic potency to shave years off their sentence. From now on I only want to do things that can enhance my life such as using my boxing skills, Moo says.

Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) tournaments have been a fixture of prison regimes in the Southeast Asian nation for centuries. The tradition of holding bouts behind bars started in 1767 when the Burmese took thousands of Thai soldiers prisoner after the downfall of Thailands then capital Ayutthaya. While incarcerated, the best Thai boxers were coerced into fighting Burmese combat experts. The ultimate champion, as legend tells it, was a Thai named Nai Khanomtom, who was granted his freedom after besting one of the Burmese monarchs top fighters.

This ancient tradition of favoring prisoners skilled in the ring is alive and well in Klong Prem and other Thai prisons. But while inmates fight literally for their freedom, international Muay Thai fighters from around the world are now flocking to enjoy a truly unique experience, as well as earn peerless bragging rights.

It was a special feeling to test my Muay Thai skills out in a Thai prison, says Alexei Vignol, a 20-year-old from Lyon in France who was narrowly beaten in Klong Prem recently. I guess you could say that it is intimidating to fight criminals inside a high security facility, but if you get scared by that then you shouldnt be a boxer.

The incorporation of foreigners has been spearheaded by an independent organization named Prison Fight. Billing itself as a charity, Prison Fight provides sport equipment, modest financial rewards inmates winnings are squirrelled away in a prison account and used to provide for their families and, most importantly, offers the successful a realistic chance at getting their sentences reduced.

We do this to give the fighters an experience and also to give something back to the country, adds Kiril Sokur, the Estonian businessman behind the Prison Fight enterprise. Giving these guys [the prisoners] the opportunity to prove their talents is important. They may be criminals but they are also human beings so staging the fights is good karma for us.

During a recent visit to Klong Prem, we encountered an atmosphere that was surprisingly convivial. As training took place in the ring set up in the prison yard, prisoners clowned around with each other, shadow boxing and dishing out playful clouts. One wiry, grinning inmate with intricate tattoos covering his entire torso, was a particularly energetic presence. Thats Chui, said Nikki. Hes a hitman.

Section 5 is for Klong Prems lifers. It is also the unofficial Muay Thai wing of the prison. Criminals with previous boxing experience like Moo and his cellmates are placed here upon entering Klong Prem. Guards, meanwhile, scout out candidates from other wings for a possible transfer. A long, wide central corridor that separates the cells is used for twice-daily hour-long running sessions. A boxing ring and rudimentary training equipment dominates the outside yard.

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Prison Inmates in Thailand Fight Foreigners for Their Freedom

Freedom's Sam Magnan places second in 500 freestyle in PIAA swimming | PHOTOS

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Sam Magnan was the lone bright spot among local boys Thursday at the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Bucknell University.

The Freedom distance swimmer finished second in the 500 freestyle behind North Allegheny's Zach Buerger. Magnan was in fourth place after 50 yards, but took the lead after 100 and held it to the 200-yard mark, when Buerger took a lead. Buerger pulled away to finish in 4:22.75, while Magnan's time was 4:25.05.

"It was barely a best time," Magnan said. "I was definitely expecting more. I'm not very happy with that swim. I definitely had more in me. I couldn't get a feel for the walls, but that's no excuse. I could have done better."

Teammate Peter Conzola was equally disappointed with his 100 backstroke. He finished fourth.

"Not good," he answered when asked to evaluate his race. "This morning [preliminaries] was terrible and this was pretty bad, too. I'm still not happy. I think my finish should have been a lot better than it was."

Patriots coach John Larson said his team "was a little quiet overall. It got a bit better today. Peter isn't feeling well and he did poorly this morning, and for him to come back and finish fourth was pretty good. But as defending state champion he was expecting better."

"Sam went about 0.3 quicker than his best time," Larson added. "He should be happy, but he's disappointed."

After the two Patriots, the best finish among local swimmers was Zach Kantz's eighth place in the 100 free. Kantz, the state champion in the 50 free from Bangor, led after 50 in his consolation race and stayed there to the end.

"I'm just dead, totally exhausted," he said. "It's just not my day. I've been exhausted all week, but when the race goes over 50 yards, it catches up to you. I'm all right."

In girls competition, Parkland's Siena Salvaggio, a silver medalist Wednesday in the in the 200 free, was disappointed Thursday in the 100 free. Salvaggio was eighth after the first 50 yards, but came back to finish second, a scant 0.01 second behind Hershey's Madelyn Veith, who won in 50.45.

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Freedom's Sam Magnan places second in 500 freestyle in PIAA swimming | PHOTOS

NYPD denies Freedom of Information request for public records handbook

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The New York City Police Department has denied a public records request and subsequent appeal for its Freedom of Information handbook.

Muckrock journalist Shawn Musgrave filed a records request under New Yorks Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) for the police departments FOIL handbook, the guide officers use to apply public record law.

SEE ALSO: U.S. Navy mistakenly sends how-to memo on dodging FOIA requests

However, the NYPD told Musgrave its Freedom of Information handbook is not covered by FOIL, arguing it is protected under attorney-client privilege.

The NYPD said the information in the handbook reflects confidential communications between members of the FOIL unit and their attorneys in the context of the providing of legal advice concerning the meaning and requirements of the Freedom of Information Law.

Journalists and transparency advocates who have long complained about the NYPDs culture of secrecy criticized the latest rejection.

Whats ludicrous here is that the NYPD is refusing to be open about its own transparency process itself, Musgrave told the WashingtonFree Beacon. Even if attorney-client privilege applied hereand I dont believe that it does, not for the departments FOIL handbooks and manuals, at leastdepartment lawyers can absolutely choose to release this basic information. Even the FBI and NSA have released similar documents with minimal redactions.

Robert Freeman, the executive director of the New York State Committee on Open Government, said that, while he has not seen the handbook, the NYPDs arguments are tenuous at best.

Legal advice is something that can be accepted, rejected, or modified by the boss, Freeman said. When it is adopted by the decision maker, its no longer legal advice, it becomes the policy of the agency. There are any number of circumstances where similar kinds of documents have been made public via FOIL requests.

Second, assuming that some of the content does not consist solely of legal advice but rather is reflective of police department policy, in my opinionagainthe privileges that were cited would not apply, Freeman continued.

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NYPD denies Freedom of Information request for public records handbook

YCEEYA Eco-system provides Business Development and Communication Process for Women Entrepreneurs – Video

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YCEEYA Eco-system provides Business Development and Communication Process for Women Entrepreneurs
Women entrepreneurs are making their way into the business world in a big way. If you are a business women or starting a business, it is important to know th...

By: Jayanagar yceeya

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YCEEYA Eco-system provides Business Development and Communication Process for Women Entrepreneurs - Video

The Cyborg @ Rollin’ & Tumblin’ 2014 blues fest – i vizi del Pellicano – Correggio (RE) – 07.03.14 – Video

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The Cyborg @ Rollin #39; Tumblin #39; 2014 blues fest - i vizi del Pellicano - Correggio (RE) - 07.03.14
Si fanno chiamare "0" e "1" come i simboli del codice binario, che rappresentano l #39;inizio e la fine dell #39;uomo. Dal codice binario ha inizio l #39;era tecnologica...

By: TheCriCriSe

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The Cyborg @ Rollin' & Tumblin' 2014 blues fest - i vizi del Pellicano - Correggio (RE) - 07.03.14 - Video