Daily Archives: March 8, 2012

Freedom's Smith signs with SMC for softball

Posted: March 8, 2012 at 7:06 am

Credit: Paul Schenkel | The News Herald

Freedom catcher Cassidy Smith recently signed her national letter of intent to play softball at Spartanburg Methodist College next spring. Flanking Smith on the front row are her parents, Wesley Smith (left) and Jennifer Smith; standing (from left) are SMC coach Thad Fox, Richard Smith, Freedom coach Jeff Williams, Wesley Smith Jr., Gerroll Smith and principal Dr. Ken Prichard.

Freedom senior Cassidy Smith will continue her softball playing career at the next level after signing Tuesday to play for former Lady Patriot coach Thad Fox at Spartanburg Methodist College.

Smith is a catcher in her first year at Freedom after moving over from Patton. She sports a varsity career batting average of more than .300 and a fielding percentage of more than .970 behind the plate.

With the Panthers, Smith led the team in RBIs as a sophomore and was the co-leader in home runs as a junior. The two-time All-South Mountain 2A/3A Conference selection is also a member of the Patriots 500-pound weightlifting club.

We have a catcher were losing (in the offseason) to UNC-Wilmington who is the backbone of our defense, said Fox, who has guided the Pioneers within one victory of qualifying for the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series two years running.

I foresee Cassidy being that same type of player, diving all over on defense.

Fox said he first saw Smith play at a camp he ran several years back in Morganton.

She was a sixth or seventh grader, and you could see her ability then, he said. Fundamentally, she had the best swing of all the kids there.

Smith started playing travel ball in fourth grade and catches for the Foothills Phantoms in the high school offseason. Shes also been a member of three Morganton junior and senior league all-star squads who have qualified for the Southeast Regionals.

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Piedmont Hills defeats Freedom for first NorCal victory

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Piedmont Hills went a step further Wednesday night than any previous boys basketball team in school history. The Pirates (28-3) beat Freedom 56-47 in the first round of the California Interscholastic Federation Northern regional Division I playoffs.

The victory was Piedmont Hills' first NorCal win in school history and set a school record for most wins in a season.

Piedmont Hills advances to play Sheldon in the quarterfinals Saturday.

The Pirates got rid of any bad taste that might have lingered from a 45-30 loss Saturday to Bellarmine in the Central Coast Section final.

"The Bellarmine game was much more physical," Piedmont Hills coach Pete Simos said. "Freedom plays more of an open-court game. That allowed us to get in more of a groove offensively."

Alex Aguilar led all scorers with 21 points.

"He's had some big games down the stretch," Simos said. "That's why he's our guy."

J.J. Espanola scored 14 points despite sitting out nearly the entire third quarter with four fouls.

James O'Neal led Freedom (22-8) with 17 points, 12 in the second half. Jelani Hardaway added 10 points.

Freedom closed the first quarter on a 14-1 run to turn a 9-2 deficit into a 15-10 lead. But Piedmont Hills scored the first 11 points of the second quarter, and Freedom never regained the lead. The combination of Piedmont Hills switching defenses from man to zone and a tightly-called game by the officials seemed to take Freedom

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Philippines Economic Freedom Ranking Up

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MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines' world ranking in the 2012 Index of Economic Freedom issued recently by the Heritage Foundation (HF) rose to 107th, eight notches higher from last year's ranking of 115th.

At the same time, the Philippines garnered an Economic Freedom Score (EFC) of 57.1 this year, an improvement from the country's previous EFC of 56.2.

"This is a clear validation of the policy reforms that the President has put in place to move the country forward and uplift the lives of our people," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said in a statement.

of Economic Freedom highlights 10 economic freedoms, namely, property rights, freedom from corruption, fiscal freedom, government spending, business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom, trade freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom.

The Heritage Foundation is a "think thank" whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, and a strong national defense.

"We hope that this development will encourage more economic activities in the country, including foreign investments that would translate to more jobs for our people," Del Rosario stated.

The Heritage Foundation reported that the Philippine economy "has been on a steady path of economic expansion."

The Philippines' 2012 score is 0.9 points higher than in 2011, which constitutes a significant improvement in business freedom. The Philippines ranked 19th out of 41 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, surpassing other emerging economies such as Indonesia, India, China, and Vietnam.

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Young America’s Foundation releases web ad to promote NC, WI Freedom Conference [VIDEO]

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The Young Americas FoundationFreedom Conference, usually held in Washington, D.C. or Santa Barbara, CA, is taking the fight to Raleigh, N.C. and Milwaukee, WI this year.

According to its website, the Foundation is committed to ensuring that increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values.

Todrum up the conference, the foundation hasreleased a web ad targeting the Obama administrations failed efforts.

In 2008, Barack Obama made a promise, the ad begins. The president said he would fundamentally transform the United States of America, but his failed stimulus, corporate bailouts, and the government take over of health care left the country with huge debt and a 9% national unemployment rate.

The adpromises that at The Freedom Conference students can join in the fight for freedom. It concludes, You can make a difference.

YAF Program Officer Ronald Meyer, Jr. told the Daily Caller of the importance of the conferences to highlight thefailures of the Obama administrations policies.

Meyer said, In 2012, the Obama administration will take their policy gimmicks like Summer Jobs+ and their student loan program to dozens of colleges across the country, and the Conservative Movement must respond and win this battle.

Freedom is the alternative [of] the misery caused by big government, he continued, Young Americas Foundation will expose the disappointing corruption of the Obama administration and offer positive solutions to this style of job-killing governance.

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Liberty University breaks ground on new library

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Liberty University honored its founder during a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for the $50 million Jerry Falwell Library, set to open by fall 2013.

The undertaking is Libertys biggest project to date, and begins just two months shy of the fifth anniversary of the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.s death.

Dozens of university and community leaders gathered behind the Schilling Center, where construction crews have begun work on a 170,000-square-foot library that combines Jeffersonian architecture with modern design. Falwell Sr.s wife, Macel, came to support the project, along with son Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church, and other family members.

Hundreds of students were released early from convocation in the nearby Vines Center, swelling the crowd to approximately 5,000 people.

Three university leaders took the stage to memorialize Falwell Sr. LU co-founder Elmer Townes, provost Ron Godwin and Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.

Towns recounted the formative role books played during Falwell Sr.s college years, from The Bible to American classics.

It was those books that changed his life and became the foundation of Thomas Road Baptist Church, and ultimately became the foundation for Liberty University, Towns said.

Godwin praised the Board of Trustees for its unanimous decision to name the library after Falwell Sr., despite the founders vocal wish that no buildings bear his name. He said the library will represent the epitome of academic and technological excellence.

Liberty has outgrown its current facility in DeMoss Hall, which serves as the main academic building.

The four-story library will become a centerpiece of the campus, incorporating state-of-the art technology with student-friendly study spaces. It will house a memorial to Falwell Sr. and historical artifacts, including a recently acquired Dead Sea Scroll facsimile parchment currently on display at the Vatican in Rome.

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Liberty Tire Recycling, Georgia State University and ECO-Action to Collect More Than 1,000 Tires from Atlanta …

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PITTSBURGH, March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Tire Recycling, the premier provider of tire recycling services in North America, is pleased to partner with the Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research at Georgia State University's Institute of Public Health and ECO-Action, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization, to host a community tire round-up event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 10, 2012. More than one thousand tires have been illegally dumped throughout neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta, and will be collected for recycling during this time. Liberty Tire Recycling representatives and other volunteers will kick-off tire collections at 510 Cohen St., Atlanta, GA 30310 and pick up tires at several other locations.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091210/NE24642LOGO)

"Illegal tire dumping has been an ongoing occurrence across the Atlanta area. Abandoned tires left in parks, yards and wooded areas have become a challenge to remove and an environmental concern for residents and businesses alike," said Dewey Grantham, Jr., regional manager for Liberty Tire Recycling. "At Liberty Tire Recycling, we are pleased to do our part to collect and reclaim these tires to keep them out of our communities and landfills."

Once the tires are collected on Saturday, they will be taken to Liberty Tire Recycling's Atlanta facility for recycling. The rubber from these tires will be utilized to create such eco-friendly products such as alternative fuels and rubber mulch for landscaping and playgrounds.

"ECO-Action is committed to working with vulnerable communities to ensure safe and healthy environments. This tire roundup is one step toward this goal," said Dr. Yomi Noibi, executive director of Environmental Community Action, Inc. (ECO-Action).

For more information on Liberty Tire Recycling, visit http://www.libertytire.com.

About Liberty Tire Recycling

Liberty Tire Recycling is the premier provider of tire recycling services in North America. By recycling more than 140 million tires annually, Liberty Tire reclaims about 1.5 billion pounds of rubber for innovative, eco-friendly products. The recycled rubber produced by Liberty Tire is used as crumb rubber and industrial feedstock for molded products; as tire-derived fuel for industrial kilns, mills and power plants; and as rubber mulch for landscaping and playgrounds. The company maintains a nationwide network of processing plants, and comprehensive door-to-door collection services. Liberty Tire Recycling is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, please visit http://www.libertytire.com.

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Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational Charity Golf National Finals To Be Played At Pinehurst Resort March 7 – 11, 2012

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Liberty Mutual Insurance announced today that more than 200 amateur golfers will participate in the Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational National Finals at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina, March 7 11, 2012. The golfers represent winning foursomes from the charity golf tournament series hosted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and local charitable organizations across the country in 2011 that helped raise more than $5.4 million for national and local charities.

Local amateur golf events and their history of supporting charitable organizations align with our belief of doing the right thing in the communities in which we live and work, said Paul Alexander, Liberty Mutual Insurance senior vice president, communications. We look forward to saluting the winning foursomes during the Finals tournament at Pinehurst Resort as well as all the golfers who played in tournaments last year to help raise much needed funds for communities across the country.

Torie Kranze,C.E.O. of the National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana said, "As the C.E.O. of the National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana and on behalf of the board of directors, staff, volunteer tournament committee, and most importantly, the patients we serve,I want to personally thank Liberty Mutual Insurance for its sponsorship of the four Liberty Mutual Invitational golf tournaments held each year throughout Louisiana. The tournaments raise over $275,000 which supports funding for local research, free community based health screenings for people at risk of kidney disease, summer camp for children on dialysis, and important health education campaigns."

Pinehurst Resort has been the site of some of professional golfs most prestigious golf tournaments and will host the 2014 U.S. Open Championship.

About the Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational

The Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational tournaments are single-day events featuring an 18-hole Scramble format open to men and women amateur golfers of all skill levels in the local community. Each 2012 tournament will be held at a prestigious golf course and conclude with a dinner and awards ceremony. Members of winning foursomes will receive great prizes from Liberty Mutual Insurance, Nike, Polaroid, Sports Vision Eyewear and Golf Digest. Leaders from the community, business and charitable organizations will run and promote the local tournaments with support from local Liberty Mutual Insurance employees. Winning foursomes from each local tournament will be invited to play in the four-day Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational National Finals. The Finals for winning foursomes of the 2012 local tournaments will return to Pinehurst Resort on March 6 10, 2013. For more information about the Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational, please visit http://www.libertymutualinvitational.com.

About Liberty Mutual Insurance

"Helping people live safer, more secure lives" since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on A.M. Best Company's report of 2010 net written premium.

Liberty Mutual Insurance also ranks 82nd on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2010 revenue. As of December 31, 2011, Liberty Mutual Insurance had $117.1 billion in consolidated assets, $99.3 billion in consolidated liabilities, and $34.7 billion in annual consolidated revenue.

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Culinary Workers Union: Station Casinos Tries to Suppress Free Speech as it Continues Attacks on Workers; Twitter …

Posted: at 7:04 am

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Last Friday afternoon, Station Casinos, an anti-union casino company, complained to Twitter about the Twitter account @workerstation, whose profile stated: Updates by Culinary Union Local 226 on the organizing campaign by workers at@stationcasinosin Las Vegas, NV. The company claimed @workerstation infringed on the companys trademark Station Casinos. The tweets by @workerstation have focused on educating the public and enlisting support for the on-going campaign by over 5,000 workers at Station Casinos to exercise their legal right to join unions in the face of the Las Vegas casino companys unprecedented anti-union campaign.

After ignoring the response by the unions attorney sent on Friday, Twitter temporarily suspended @workerstation on Monday afternoon after it received another report from the trademark holder that your account, @workerstation, is still using a trademark in a way that could be confusing or misleading with regard to brand or business affiliation.

The union sent another response to the temporary suspension notice immediately, and a letter was sent to Twitters legal department on Tuesday morning. At 12:38 p.m. on Tuesday, Twitter restored the @workerstation account. So far, Twitter has not responded to the argument by the unions legal counsel that @workerstation has not violated any trademark law, especially considering well-established legal precedents on critical fair use of trademarks.

We are happy that Twitter has not succumbed to anti-union corporate special interests and has not given in to Station Casinos unreasonable demands, said Geoconda Arguello-Kline, President of the Culinary Local 226. We believe it isand wasabsolutely crystal clear to any reasonable person that @workerstation is not affiliated with, supported by, or paid for by Station Casinos.

At the same time, continued Arguello-Kline, we urge Station Casinos to finally begin to respect its employees right to decide for themselves, freely and without management interference or intimidation, whether they want to join our union.

For more information on the on-going organizing campaign at Station Casinos, please follow @workerstation on Twitter, like the campaigns Facebook page (www.facebook.com/WorkerStation), or sign up for updates from http://www.WorkerStation.org.

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 is the largest union in Nevada and an affiliate of UNITE HERE, the hospitality workers union in North America.

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Jake Humphrey on 'Free Speech': 'We need more TV for young people'

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BBC / Jonathan Stewart

Humphrey's new series, which will feature BAFTA-winner Adam Deacon and Radio 1 DJ Gemma Cairney on the panel, is intended to create a talking shop for issues directly affecting young people.

"There are loads of issues directly impacting on young people at the moment, the riots, work experience schemes, rising unemployment, so why not have a show for young people with young people?" Humphrey told Digital Spy.

"Young kids are very well catered for TV-wise in this country and also again when you get to your mid-30s. But I think there is a real need for something that caters for and is controlled by young people.

"We want young people to develop and decide how this show works. I won't be going on with a running order. The audience and people at home will direct the way that the show goes.

"As a broadcaster it's exciting to do something that challenges you and moves you away from regular stuff. This couldn't be any more different from standing in the pit lane or covering the Olympics."

Explaining the show's format, he added: "The simplest thing to say is that it's like Question Time for younger people.

"The young audience will hopefully share their views and voice, but the biggest thing that this show has going for it is that quite often shows will discuss unemployment, young people not being empowered in politics and the riots, but it's filled with old people and there's not a young person in sight.

"But on this show, not only do we have the 100 or so people in the studio, but also we open the debate up on Twitter. That's something I'm excited about. Through hashtags people will be able to affect a power bar in our studio and as our panel speak, the power bar can go up or down.

"It's instant and honest. People can react and we can discuss why a power bar is going up or down. It's anonymous and I think we'll get some real honesty."

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Marine's Facebook page tests free speech rights

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SAN DIEGO Marine Sgt. Gary Stein first started a Facebook page called Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots to encourage service members to exercise their free speech rights. Then he declared that he wouldn't follow orders from the commander in chief, President Barack Obama.

While Stein softened his statement to say he wouldn't follow "unlawful orders," military observers say he may have gone too far.

The Marine Corps is now looking into whether he violated the military's rules prohibiting political statements by those in uniform and broke its guidelines on what troops can and cannot say on social media. Stein said his views are constitutionally protected.

While troops have always expressed their views in private, Stein's case highlights the potential for their opinions to go global as tech-savvy service members post personal details, videos and pictures that can hurt the military's image at home and abroad.

"I think that it's been pretty well established for a long time that freedom of speech is one area in which people do surrender some of their basic rights in entering the armed forces," said former Navy officer David Glazier, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

"Good order and discipline require the military maintain respect for the chain of command," Glazier said. "That includes prohibiting speech critical of the senior officers in that chain of command up to and including the commander in chief."

According to Pentagon directives, military personnel in uniform can't sponsor a political club; participate in any TV or radio program or group discussion that advocates for or against a political party, candidate or cause; or speak at any event promoting a political movement.

Commissioned officers also may not use contemptuous words against senior officials, including the defense secretary or the president.

In January, an Army reservist wearing camouflaged fatigues got into trouble for taking the stage during a rally in Iowa with Republican presidential candidate and Texas congressman Ron Paul.

Stein was first cautioned by his superiors at Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego, in 2010 after he launched his Facebook page, criticizing Obama's health care overhaul. Stein volunteered to take down the page while he reviewed the rules at the request of his superiors.

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