Yoder: Freedom can be great if not taken to extremes

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What does freedom mean? To me, freedom means that if I don't agree with someone, I can say so. They may not like it or they may not like me for saying it, but I have the freedom to express my thoughts. They have the freedom to disagree and to express their own thoughts. They have the freedom to think I'm an idiot. I have the freedom to think likewise.

Even if I say something negative against the government, I have the freedom to say it. I won't be thrown in prison. My family won't be hunted down and harassed. My possessions won't be seized. My life won't be ruined. I can stage a protest. Others may join me. We can paint signs and walk around holding them, bringing attention to our beliefs. Freedom means we won't face retribution for our actions. Tar and feathers can only happen in the form of words.

Unfortunately, sometimes we as human beings take this freedom to an extreme. Sometimes people protest in places they do not belong, saying things that decent people do not say. They are hurtful and unkind, and yet, they have the freedom to do so. The French writer Voltaire said it so eloquently. "I disagree strongly with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

If I don't like something my church is doing, I have the freedom to say so. I also have the freedom to choose another church. Or, I have the freedom not to go to church at all. Most importantly, I have the freedom to go to church openly and without the fear of retribution. My friend Pastor Tom LoVan has been to underground churches in other countries. He knows what it's like to travel in secret to a place of worship that, if discovered, leads to prison, or worse. After Tom visited one such church the pastor was thrown in jail. Tom worked hard to get him set free.

Tom also knows what it's like to have a price on his head. One country did not want him talking about God. They not only banned him from the country, they had dire consequences in store for him if he showed up. God's truth is powerful. It changes hearts. It changes lives. It can even change countries. The price was been lifted from Tom's head. He was allowed back in. And God is flourishing in that country.

Being Tom's friend has changed how I look at freedom. He's the only person I know who was a child soldier. We laugh about the fact that the gun he carried back then was taller than he was. We laugh because he has a great sense of humor. We also laugh because it's so absurd.

Tom came to this country as a refugee and found freedom. The freedom to study, to learn, to grow and to become an incredible person, which he did. He has the freedom to help others, which he does every day. He also has the freedom to wear a suit that looks like the American flag. Of course, his wife had the freedom to ban that suit from his wardrobe. But I miss it. It was very colorful. The memory of it stills makes me laugh. Tom is colorful not only in dress but in personality. Sometimes his name will come up and someone will laugh just at the sound of his name. But it's always with a smile and with deep affection. To choose our friends is a freedom.

I have the freedom to stand up with my hand on my heart during the singing of The Star Spangled Banner. I have the freedom to carry the Pledge of Allegiance in my heart. I have the freedom to thank our veterans for defending our freedoms throughout the 237 years this country has been a country. I have the freedom to be forever grateful to them and their families. This country is not a perfect country, but I love it and I'm truly thankful that this is where I live.

I have the freedom to believe that real freedom came more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins. For my sins. For that, I am eternally thankful. And I realize that freedom isn't free. It's priceless.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free..." (Galatians 5:1). Live a life of freedom.

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Yoder: Freedom can be great if not taken to extremes

Bangladesh freedom fighters to look for fellow-soldiers’ graves in Tripura

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Agartala, Jul 5 (IANS): Freedom fighters from Bangladesh will visit the Indian state of Tripura to locate graveyards in the northeastern state where soldiers of the 1971 Liberation War were buried, officials of the two countries announced here Friday.

"Bangladesh sought India's help to identify the graveyards in Indian territory where slain soldiers of Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War were buried. We have so far identified two such locations on the outskirts of Agartala city," West Tripura District Magistrate Kiran Gitte told reporters.

Accompanied by Bangladesh's Brahmanbaria district's Deputy Commissioner Nur Mohammad Majumder, Gitte said: "Through the union home and external affairs ministries, we have received several hundred names of Bangladeshi soldiers buried during the Liberation War in villages along the border."

A two-day meeting of officials of Bangladesh and India, held here Wednesday and Thursday, discussed, among other issues, the identification of the burial spots of the 1971 Liberation War, after which Bangladesh was created from the former East Pakistan.

Gitte led the Indian side at the meeting, while the Bangladesh team was headed by Nur Mohammad Majumder.

Both the officials, while briefing the media about the outcome of the meeting, said a team of freedom fighters from Bangladesh would soon visit Tripura to identify locations where the soldiers were buried.

The Bangladesh government is likely to either take the remains of the slain soldiers back, or protect the graveyards with the help of India.

In December 2007, Bangladesh had taken back the remains of Liberation War hero Hamidur Rahman from northern Tripura's Kamalpur area and reburied them in Dhaka with full state honours.

Hamidur Rahman, one of the seven top war heroes, died aged 18 during the Liberation War against Pakistan.

Gitte said that so far two burial spots have been identified at Ramnagar and Golchakkar on the outskirts of the state capital.

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Bangladesh freedom fighters to look for fellow-soldiers' graves in Tripura

Bharat Book Presents : Microbiology Testing Granular Analysis of the Global Market – Video

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Bharat Book Presents : Microbiology Testing Granular Analysis of the Global Market
To know more : http://www.bharatbook.com/market-research-reports/healthcare-market-research-report/microbiology-testing-granular-analysis-of-the-global-marke...

By: Deepa Kamath

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Bharat Book Presents : Microbiology Testing Granular Analysis of the Global Market - Video

Fraser Health moves closer to merging microbiolgy labs

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The executive director of pathology at the Provincial Health Services Authority swore two months ago that a portion of the microbiology lab at Burnaby Hospital would remain open.

But now, that tune appears to have changed.

Edward Ratnaraja says after discussion with clinicians and doctors, the decision was made to move all, not just part of the lab, to Royal Columbian Hospital.

And he says this is just the first phase of three to amalgamate all Fraser Health microbiology labs.

Phase two is moving the microbiology work again from Abbotsford Hospital to Surrey Memorial and the final phase sees all microbiology work being done in one hub hospital, which would be the Surrey Memorial tower.

Ratnaraja says they intend to have all the labs integrated within two years.

A spokesman with the Health Sciences Association, a union that represents lab technicians, says they understand the changes ahead but aren't thirlled with how they played out.

Reid Johnson says they were told the integration was going ahead only after it was already a done deal.

Our initial concern was the lack of notice and the failure to consult the people who actually do the specialized work to know what's best to do for the patient care.

Johnston says members understand efficiencies need to be made, and he is optimistic that moving forward, greater consultation will take place.

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Fraser Health moves closer to merging microbiolgy labs