Monthly Archives: March 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Thousands of middle and high school students will have access to expanded educational opportunities provided by the Celebrate Freedom Foundation, supported by a new partnership with Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company.

Colonial Life has committed $100,000 over the next three years to help support the Celebrate Freedom Foundations educational programs. The programs focus on STEM subjects science, technology, engineering and math that are considered essential to the nations competitiveness and leadership role in the world economy. The goal is to encourage students to learn more about and pursue careers in fields that rely on these skills. The partnership will help fund:

This effort builds on Colonial Lifes long history of support for the Celebrate Freedom Foundation, says Randy Horn, Colonial Lifes president and chief executive officer. Were committed to developing the leaders of tomorrow by investing in educating and developing our future workforce. Nearly half of our total corporate social responsibility funding is education-focused, and Celebrate Freedom Foundations efforts align well with this focus.

Colonial Lifes support will greatly help our efforts to deliver effective educational opportunities and recognize outstanding JROTC participants, adds Jack Lovelady, Celebrate Freedom Foundations president and chief operating officer. These programs help develop critical skills greatly needed in the global workplace. Theyll help us maintain the U.S. technological advantage essential to assuring the health of our nations industry and, ultimately, Americas freedom.

To learn more about the Celebrate Freedom Foundation or its educational and JROTC programs, call (803) 708-4752 or visit http://www.CelebrateFreedomFoundation.org.

About the Celebrate Freedom Foundation

The Celebrate Freedom Foundation is a nonprofit educational and historical 501 (c)3 corporation dedicated to educating children, promoting lasting patriotism and honoring the military past, present and future. It provides innovative educational outreach programs in unconventional settings, focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics in elementary, middle and high schools. For more information visit http://www.CelebrateFreedomFoundation.org or call (803) 708-4752.

About the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps

The Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.

Read more from the original source:
Colonial Life–Celebrate Freedom Foundation partnership benefits students nationwide

Freedom of Information not so free at the state house.

A recent restructuring bill forced a lot questions from citizens concerned about the separation of powers in state government. So through theFreedom of Information Act, many wanted details on how law makers put together the bill. But South Carolina legislators are exempt from such disclosure.

The Freedom of information Act or FOIA went into effect in 1967. In short, its purpose is to allow the release of previously undisclosed documents, controlled by the government. But in some cases, such as those at the South Carolina state house, the rules don notalways apply. An email obtained by the South Carolina Policy Council, shows that lawmakers are well aware of what they have to release and when. And they do not have to release anything.

Lawmakers passed a law back in 1980 which allows them to ignore FOIA requests. Rick Brundrett from the Policy Council, says there is no real recourse for tax payers who have questions.

Citizens have a right to know how their government operates. And freedom of information is designed to give citizens the opportunity to learn how their government operates. When the legislature has this exemption set for themselves no other state agency has citizens cannot learn as much about how their government operates.

The policy council reports they first found out the scope of the emotions, when they tried to get information on Boeing incentives and were stonewalled. Meantime a bill is up for debate that could end the law.

View post:
Freedom of Information not so free at the state house.

By KENNETH KNIGHT | The Tampa Tribune Published: February 29, 2012 Updated: February 29, 2012 - 12:00 AM

David Sheppard's first official day as Freedom High's new principal went as he expected.

He described Feb. 20 as "an average, good old hardworking day."

Shortly before 2 p.m., Sheppard, who served as Wharton High's assistant principal of curriculum before his promotion, just had wrapped up a visit with a parent and chatted briefly with Assistant Principal Rosemary Owens.

"It's a whirlwind," Sheppard said, as he tried to grab a quick snack shortly before the end of school.

His day had been filled with meeting teachers and staffers, greeting students and conferencing with a parent or two who wanted to address an issue.

"The conversations I have had and the issues I've dealt with are very similar to an average, good old hardworking day," he said.

"It's been a good start," said the youthful 42-year-old, who replaced Chris Farkas, Freedom's popular former principal. "Most of the staff and several students have welcomed me."

That same day, Farkas started his new job as the school district's first-ever Area 8 leadership director, a post created to help devote more attention to public schools in south Hillsborough County.

Sheppard said he and Farkas were scheduled to meet a few more times during the next week or two to discuss school matters as part of the handoff.

Read the original post:
Freedom's new principal adjusts

FORT WAYNE, Ind., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. (Pink Sheets: FDMF) CEO Brian Kistler today confirmed that the company has received the funding to produce and ship KC 9000 for the previously mentioned Middle East trial.

Kistler stated, "The first trial tentatively set to take place in April 2012 has been moved up to early March. The purpose of this trial is to show the effectiveness of cleaning, oil covered, drill cuttings from wells being drilled on shore. The parties requesting the trial have funded all expenses of product, shipping, travel and lodging for me to attend this event. The location for the trial has not been disclosed to me at this time; however all plans are being coordinated through our agent in Dubai."

Kistler further stated, "There are approximately 1 million tons of drill cuttings that have been accumulated that are yet to be processed from this one location. The current cost of cleanup is $65 per ton. Using KC 9000, costs show to come in under $50 per ton. Using this model would call for approximately 2 million gallons of KC 9000 to process the whole 1 million tons already accumulated. Moving forward the plan is to set up modular processing plants at the sight of the new wells being drilled so that the cuttings are able to be processed immediately which will save costs from transportation and storage of the cuttings."

"It is very rewarding to finally reach this point. When dealing with the foreign oil companies (which are all governmentally owned) it takes a great deal of perseverance and coordination to overcome the high degree of scrutiny and the barrier of entry. Thanks again to all of our shareholders for their patience," concluded Kistler.

ABOUT FREEDOM ENERGY HOLDINGS, INC:Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. (FDMF.PK) is a publicly traded company that specializes in the identification and development of technologies with commercial applications in the energy industry sector. The company's original primary focus is the commercial development of its proprietary, heavy oil technology. KC 9000, a breakthrough technology, provides an effective and cost efficient system to enable heavy oil deposits to flow without heat. Recent research has developed and shown a new product SR-139 to be effective at breaking down asphalt shingles allowing the extraction and recovery of hydrocarbons.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTThis press release contains certain "forward-looking" statements, as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Statements, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The Company, through its management, makes forward-looking public statements concerning it expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the Company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company. They include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to develop operations, the Company's ability to consummate and complete the acquisition, the Company's access to future capital, the successful integration of acquired companies, government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition, sales and other factors that may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements.

Contact: Brian Kistler CEO, 260-490-9990Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. Investor Relations Steven Marcus DME Capital LLC 917-648-0663 http://www.freedomenergyinternational.com

Read the original here:
Freedom Energy Confirms International Funding Received

When it comes to Freedom Road, Bruce Mazzoni, chairman of the Cranberry supervisors, is just plain tired of discussing how property should be used.

That was the summation of several minutes of comments underscoring township officials' frustration with the continuing conflict over the zoning of the property that flanks Cranberry's notorious bottleneck.

The issue came to a head Thursday as the board considered whether to accept an application from a consortium representing 13 Freedom Road property owners seeking a rezoning of their land. The application for rezoning accompanies pending appeals to the township zoning board and Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Supervisors voted unanimously against acceptance of the rezoning request.

The issue has been simmering for years. Township officials thought it was resolved in October 2010 when they approved a zoning overlay to allow property owners to develop their land for lower-impact commercial uses. The underlying residential zoning remained in tact, allowing property owners who didn't want to develop to continue unchanged.

The discussions about the zoning of the property along Freedom Road from Route 19 to the Beaver County line have been ongoing since the late 1990s.

In 1999, the Cranberry Planning Commission began looking at a request from residents along Freedom Road who wanted their land to be rezoned from residential to commercial.

In the township's early days, Freedom Road was one of two main thoroughfares cutting through farmland.

Houses were built on either side.

But, as the township developed, the road evolved from a residential street to a commercial throughway.

Follow this link:
Freedom Road conflicts continue in Cranberry