Religious Freedom Proposal Shelved After Rep. Requires Businesses to Post Refusal Notice

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. A religious freedom proposal that was meant to protect business owners who have faith-based objections to fulfilling particular orders has been shelved after a Democratic representative put forth an amendment that would require such businesses to post notices about their objections.

The Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act, HB 1371, was introduced earlier this year by state Rep. Chuck Strohm (R-Tulsa) to provide protections for those whose religious beliefsforbid them from being partakers in other mens sins (1 Timothy 5:22).

In any action brought under the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act,neither the State of Oklahoma nor any subdivision thereof shall beentitled to claim a governmental interest which purports to requireany person to participate in any marriage ceremony, celebration, orother related activity or to provide items or services for suchpurposes against the persons religious beliefs, the bill read.

But Rep. Emily Virgin (D-Norman), an opponent of the bill, submitted an amendment to the Act this week that would require such businesses to post notices stating which persons they would not serve.

Any person not wanting to participate in any of the activities set forth in subsection A of this section based on sexual orientation, gender identity or race of either party to the marriage shall post notice of such refusal in a manner clearly visible to the public in all places of business, including websites, the amendment read.The notice may refer to the persons religious beliefs, but shall state specifically which couples the business does not serve by referring to a refusal based upon sexual orientation, gender identity or race.

A number of business owners across the country who have been involved in civil rights complaints have stated that they dont refuse to serve homosexualsthat they have regular customers and employees who are involved in such relationshipsbut must draw the line when it comes to personal involvement in a ceremony.

I was pretty flabbergasted [about the Religious Freedom Act] because it hearkens back to a time when we were legalizing discrimination on the basis of race, basis of gendermany other things that now just seem silly, Virgin told local television station KFOR. If you want to discriminate under this law if it passes, then youre legally allowed to do that, but you need to own it. You need to fess up to it.

However, now that Virgin added the amendment to the Act, the Religious Freedom Act has stalled and has been shelved for discussion.

As previously reported, in recent years, a number of states have been seeking to pass local laws similar to the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed by then-President Bill Clinton. The Michigan House of Representativespassed a bill in December that some interpreted as providing protections for faith-based businesses, as well as conscience-based objections for employees of secular businesses.

Some opposed that bill as well.

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Religious Freedom Proposal Shelved After Rep. Requires Businesses to Post Refusal Notice

Halla Visteon Climate Control wins IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award

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HVCC-developed heat pump system for electric vehicles recognized for innovative power-saving technology

SEOUL, KOREA -- March 9, 2015: Leading automotive thermal management solution provider Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp. (KS: 018880) has been named a co-winner of the IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award with Hyundai Motor Company for its new heat pump system.

The IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award is presented to companies in Korea with technologically outstanding and innovative new products. Jointly sponsored by Korea Industrial Technology Association and Maeil Business Newspaper, a leading Korean business publication, the award is presented in the name of the Minister of Science and Technology.

The award-winning heat pump system developed by HVCC is designed to significantly reduce power consumption from heating battery-powered vehicles including electric vehicles. Unlike a conventional electric heater, which only uses power supplied from the battery to heat the cabin, heat pumps draw heat from external air, thereby reducing power consumption. HVCC's new heat pump system also utilizes the waste heat recycled from the vehicle's motor and inverter as an additional heat source, further extending the vehicle's drive range by decreasing the power drain on the battery.

With this breakthrough innovation, waste heat is harvested by the heat pump to support the vehicle's heating system and meet the desired cabin temperature, even in challenging sub-zero temperatures. This function helps dramatically reduce the vehicle's energy consumption and increases the driving range on a single battery charge by more than 20 percent.

"As an integrated thermal management system, HVCC's heat pump system can be further implemented in eco-friendly vehicles including plug-in hybrid and fuel cell vehicles," said YH Park, president and CEO of HVCC. "We are honored to receive this award and believe this innovative system will bring value to our customers worldwide."

HVCC's heat pump system is in production on several vehicles sold globally and will be showcased at the Seoul Motor Show in April 2015.

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Halla Visteon Climate Control wins IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award

Mal wieder in unserer Hood, den Northern Beaches in Sydney – welt kopfunter Vlog #7 – Video

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Mal wieder in unserer Hood, den Northern Beaches in Sydney - welt kopfunter Vlog #7
Meinen Blog mit vielen Artikeln ber das Leben Reisen in Australien findest hier: http://weltkopfunter.de Folge mir: https://www.fb.com/weltkopfunter https://twitter.com/weltkopfunter...

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Australia / Sydney – Beaches, Friends and the Goodlife *Teaser* ( 2015 ) – Video

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Australia / Sydney - Beaches, Friends and the Goodlife *Teaser* ( 2015 )
Just a few impressions about my first month in Sydney with some awesome people at some awesome beaches. Video still very blurred, reupload willcome by chance 😀 GoPro Video coming soon :)...

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Passport king helps poor nations turn citizenship into a resource

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Eduardo Munoz/Reuters A view of beaches just outside the main capital Basseterre June 13, 2009. The Caribbean's small island states resist natural hurricanes year after year, but they are fighting to stay afloat in a global economic storm that is battering the world's rich and poor nations alike. Picture taken June 13, 2009.

In 2006, the tiny Caribbean state of St. Kitts and Nevis was in deep trouble. Its sugar plantations had closed a year earlier, gang violence had given it the dubious distinction of having one of the worlds highest murder rates, and only two governments on Earth were more indebted. A three-hour flight south of Miami, the country of 48,000 people was more or less unknown. Certainly, the two specks of volcanic rock in the middle of the West Indies werent of much interest to the worlds rich. St. Kitts and Nevis had run a citizenship-by-investment programhad sold passportssince 1984, but it didnt get much attention and was never a moneymaker.

Then a Swiss lawyer named Christian Kalin showed up.

Thanks to Kalin, St. Kitts has become the worlds most popular place to buy a passport, offering citizenship for $250,000 with no requirement that applicants ever set foot on the islands sun-kissed shores. Buyers get visa-free travel to 132 countries, limited disclosure of financial information, and no taxes on income or capital gains. The program became so successful that St. Kitts emerged from the global financial crisis far ahead of its neighbors in the Caribbean. Its been a complete transformation, says Judith Gold, head of an International Monetary Fund mission to the country.

Just as Kalin put St. Kitts on the map, Bloomberg Markets will report in its April 2015 issue, the reverse is also true. It made his reputation. Before St. Kitts, Kalins firm, Henley & Partners, was an obscure wealth management and immigration consultancy, and Kalin was working out of a small branch office in Zurich. Tall, with a runners build, Kalin was known as a researcher, he says, not the hard-nosed dealmaker hes become. His claim to fame was having edited a 766-page guide to doing business in Switzerland, a tome found in every one of the countrys embassies.

Soon, prime ministers from around the world were seeking Kalins advice, in the hope he could reproduce the magic of St. Kitts, where he effectively created a resource out of thin air for a nation that had few. Many countries allow wealthy foreigners to buy residency cards through what are called immigrant investor programs, but before the financial crisis, St. Kitts and another Caribbean island called Dominica were the only ones selling citizenship outright. Since then, another five countries have gotten into the game. More are coming.

Kalin advised the governments of Cyprus and Grenada, which established citizenship-by-investment plans in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Also in 2013, he designed a program very much like St. Kittss for Antigua and Barbuda. In 2014, Kalin crafted a plan for Malta, the smallest member of the European Union. Pretty much every government that has even contemplated this has talked to us, he says. In St. Lucia, a task force is considering proposals from Henley and other firms. Albania, Croatia, Jamaica, Montenegro, and Slovenia are looking at programs, too.

The bottom lineits a phrase Kalin uses oftenis that more states are open to making citizenship rights available through investment, he says. And it makes a lot of sense. Why not give citizenship to people who contribute a lot to the country?

Since revamping the St. Kitts program in November 2006, Kalin has built Henley into the biggest firm in an industry turning citizenship into a commodity. Investors spent an estimated $2 billion buying new passports last year alone, and Kalin predicts demand will grow along with the ranks of the wealthy in emerging countries. Its a question of mobility and also security, he says. If youre from a country thats politically unstable, where youre not sure what the future holds, you want to have an alternative.

Henley is privately held and Kalin wont discuss its revenue, but he says by the end of 2014, the firm had helped dozens of governments raise $4 billion in direct investment through citizenship or residency programs. It has also advised thousands of multimillionaires on where and how to buy a passport of convenience, collecting fees and commissions from all sides. Last year, at 42, Kalin became Henleys chairman.

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Passport king helps poor nations turn citizenship into a resource

Beach crowds warned to stay away from right whales

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Federal officials are flying a banner over central Florida beaches to warn boaters and spring break visitors to stay away from endangered right whales.

The banner flown Saturday from Cape Canaveral to Sebastian Inlet warns people to stay 500 yards away from the whales, which are migrating along Florida's Atlantic coast.

Only about 450 to 500 right whales remain worldwide. Cheryl Bonnes of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tells Florida Today that officials want people to give the whales a little more space.

The 500-yard rule applies to watercraft or aircraft, including paddle boards and surfboards. Fines for approaching or remaining closer to the whales can be thousands of dollars.

The right whale calving season off South Carolina, Georgia and Florida begins in mid-November and runs through mid-April.

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Beach crowds warned to stay away from right whales

Record-Breaking Heat Sends Crowds To Southland Beaches

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PACIFIC PALISADES (CBSLA.com) The August-like weather sent crowds to the Southlands beaches on Saturday, creating traffic jams as well asextra work for lifeguards, whose staffing remains at winter levels.

By 5 p.m. the sweltering temperatures had mostly abated, according to CBS2s Bobby Kaple, whotraveled from Santa Monica to Pacific Palisades on Saturday afternoon.

It was really hot, so we wanted to go to the beach and catch some waves, said Gracie Smith, whosummed up the sentiments of thousands as a major heatwave wallops the region.

The crowdflocking to the beach generated a whole of lot stop-and-go traffic along the way and wall-to-wall people heading into the water in Santa Monica.

One beachgoer noted that she was trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.

We have our fresh-squeezed lemonades, said another beachgoer, Shiva Lalezar. We brought ourorganic fruits and veggies, and the girls are munching on them.

One girl said she didnt think her dog was enjoyingSaturdays warmtemperatures.

I was telling everybody back home that they are calling the big shiny thing in the sky the sun, said Scott Dudley, a tourist from Washington. Were not typically used to this. This is all right.

Lifeguard Capt. Eric Howell said rip currents are causing problems, with more than a hundred rescues up and down the beach.

Yeah, were at max capacity, Howell said. Its extremely hot out today, and the water is uncharacteristically warm today. It seems like on days like this when you haverescues going on everywhere youre always short-staffed.

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Record-Breaking Heat Sends Crowds To Southland Beaches

Astronomy For Everyone – Episode 52 – Astronomy at D bar A Scout Ranch September 2013 – Video

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Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 52 - Astronomy at D bar A Scout Ranch September 2013
Astronomy For Everyone is a TV series of monthly TV shows developed by members of the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club (FAAC) targeted to beginner and intermediat...

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Astronomy For Everyone – Episode 68 – Questions from our Viewers January 2015 – Video

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Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 68 - Questions from our Viewers January 2015
Astronomy For Everyone is a TV series of monthly TV shows developed by members of the Ford Amateur Astronomy Club (FAAC) targeted to beginner and intermediat...

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Astronomy For Everyone - Episode 68 - Questions from our Viewers January 2015 - Video