Daily Archives: May 12, 2012

Freedom, Parkland and Emmaus lead Freddy 2012 nominations

Posted: May 12, 2012 at 7:15 pm

Freedom, Parkland and Emmaus are again the top schools to beat in the Freddy Awards.

Freedom garnered 17 nominations while Parkland and Emmaus received 12 each in Thursdays ceremony broadcast on Channel 69-WFMZ. For the past two years, the three schools have been in the ranks of the highest nomination-getters. All three are competing for the Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical award this year, joined by Notre Dame High School and Southern Lehigh High School.

Every school is eligible for that award, but once nominated a school is taken out of the running for the Outstanding Overall Production by a Smaller School category (named for those with less than 1,000 students), said Freddy Awards Producer Jamie Balliet.

The Freddy Awards honor the best in high school theater programs at 29 schools in Lehigh, Northampton and Warren counties. The Freddy Awards ceremony will be held 7 p.m. May 24 at the State Theatre in Easton.

We are extremely proud to receive the recognition from both our audiences and the broader Lehigh Valley community through the Freddy Awards, said Jennifer Wescoe, Freedom High School Theatre Company Advisor and Director. Its just a great day.

While the Freedom nominations rang in, there was a yelp of excitement across the river. Jan Labellarte, theater instructor and drama director at Warren County Vocational Technical School, cheered as her daughter, Kate Dawson, got the nod for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

I thought (director) Jen Wescoe helped her a lot and pulled a great performance out of her, Labellarte said of her daughters challenging role as Mrs. Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie. The role required the Freedom junior to learn two different accents.

Though Labellarte said theater is a big part of the Bethlehem Township familys life, she insists: Kate did this on her own. Im very proud.

Labellartes own cast and crew picked up four nominations.

It was intense, Labellarte said of her students gathering to watch the live nominations. I thought someone was going to pop an artery.

Follow this link:
Freedom, Parkland and Emmaus lead Freddy 2012 nominations

Posted in Freedom | Comments Off on Freedom, Parkland and Emmaus lead Freddy 2012 nominations

Navy ship Freedom is Singapore-bound despite inspection trouble

Posted: at 7:15 pm

The Navy littoral combat ship Freedom will head to Singapore for a 10-month deployment in the spring of 2013.

The warship will be forward stationed in the Asian city-state under a program to place a vessel there for a lengthy stretch but rotate crews in and out.

The Navy mentioned the timing at a media telephone conference Wednesday, during which it also defended the ship in the face of a leaked internal report that showed the Freedom performing poorly in a pre-inspection.

This will be the second deployment for the San Diego-based Freedom, the first ship in a new vessel class that is supposed to be fast, light and versatile for coastal patroling, but that also has been dogged by criticism about early performance and questions about whether it can survive a battle.

The Freedom arrived in San Diego in April 2010 after a maiden deployment from the Florida to San Diego.

The vessel has spent time in the shipyard since then, in part to repair cracks found in her hull. The Freedom is now preparing for its final exam, the congressionally mandated Board of Inspection and Survey test. Failing an INSURV is an enormous black eye in the Navy.

An early May pre-INSURV inspection report something that isn't usually released but leaked out in a Navy-related blog shows that half of the inspected areas were rated red, or no-go, according to a Navy Times story Wednesday night. Eight categories received yellow marks, while six were rated green, or go.

A spokesman at Naval Surface Forces in San Diego said the Freedom isn't the only ship to not fare well in a pre-INSURV review, called a Type Commander Material Inspection Team evaluation. The Navy started performing these pre-inspections last summer as a way to tell if a ship was in danger of failing the final exam.

Since mid-2011, the San Diego-based ship command has conducted eleven of these pre-inspections.Of these, six ships including the Freedom were characterized as "high risk/no go" for INSURV, three as "medium risk" and two as "Ready to Proceed," said spokesman Cmdr. Jason Salata in a written statement.

The Freedom gets two more rehearsals before it will face the big INSURV test.

Read more here:
Navy ship Freedom is Singapore-bound despite inspection trouble

Posted in Freedom | Comments Off on Navy ship Freedom is Singapore-bound despite inspection trouble

Romney Tells Liberty Grads What Really Matters

Posted: at 7:14 pm

Enlarge Jae C. Hong/AP

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivers a commencement address at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va, Saturday.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney delivers a commencement address at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va, Saturday.

"Culture what you believe, what you value, how you live matters," Romney told graduates gathered in the football stadium on Liberty University's campus in Virginia on Saturday.

"Culture what you believe, what you value, how you live matters," Romney told graduates gathered in the football stadium on Liberty University's campus in Virginia on Saturday.

Mitt Romney's Mormon faith has shaped his life, but he barely mentioned it as he spoke to graduates at an evangelical Christian university Saturday.

And he barely touched on hot-button social issues like abortion and gay marriage, instead offering a broad-based defense of values like family and hard work.

"Culture what you believe, what you value, how you live matters," Romney told graduates gathered in the football stadium on Liberty University's campus in the Virginia mountains. "The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and at the foundation, the preeminence of the family."

Instead of a red-meat conservative policy speech, Romney discussed his own family and offered a defense of Christianity, saying that "there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action." Still, he was inclusive: "Men and women of every faith, and good people with none at all, sincerely strive to do right and lead a purpose-driven life," Romney said.

He had one sustained applause line in a 20-minute speech delivered days after President Barack Obama historically embraced gay marriage. "Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman," Romney said to a cheering crowd of students who have to follow a strict code of conduct that considers sex out of wedlock and homosexuality to be sins.

Excerpt from:
Romney Tells Liberty Grads What Really Matters

Posted in Liberty | Comments Off on Romney Tells Liberty Grads What Really Matters

Mitt Romney courts evangelicals at Liberty University

Posted: at 7:14 pm

Mitt Romneys Mormon religion has been a problem for some evangelicals. At conservative Liberty University Saturday, Romney stressed Christian values without mentioning his own faith, part of an apparently successful effort to win over evangelicals and other social conservatives.

Without dwelling on or barely mentioning his own faith, Mitt Romney Saturday portrayed himself as a religious conservative who believes that there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.

Central to Americas rise to global leadership is our Judeo-Christian tradition, with its vision of the goodness and possibilities of every life, Romney declared.

His commencement address to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. put Romney in front of his largest audience so far in his presidential campaign (an estimated 35,000).

The institution, founded by the late televangelist Jerry Falwell and billing itself as the largest Christian university in the world, was a crucial setting for Romney who is a Mormon as he tries to attract evangelicals and other social conservatives whod held out hopes for Rick Santorum and other Republican presidential candidates now fallen by the wayside.

RECOMMENDED:Gay marriage issue: Who does it hurt most, Obama or Romney?

Pushing both Romney the presumptive Republican nominee and President Obama off their economic message this week was same-sex marriage. Preempted by Vice President Joe Bidens comments in support of same-sex marriage last Sunday, Obama found himself having to jump aboard.

That forced Romney to reiterate his position: That marriage as limited to one man and one woman should be enshrined in the US Constitution.

As Americans increasingly and apparently rapidly approve of gay marriage, this puts Romney on what critics call the wrong side of history on a civil rights issue, especially among younger voters (18-34), 70 percent of whom approve of same-sex marriage. Women too are more likely to be comfortable with gay marriage than men a portion of the electorate Republicans need to attract in greater numbers.

But among social conservatives especially evangelical Christians Romney is right.

View post:
Mitt Romney courts evangelicals at Liberty University

Posted in Liberty | Comments Off on Mitt Romney courts evangelicals at Liberty University

Liberty Center girls, Archbold boys reign

Posted: at 7:14 pm

Home News Local Loading

Published: 5/12/2012

BLADE STAFF

BRYAN -- The Liberty Center and Wauseon girls track teams engaged in a tug-of-war to decide the Northwest Ohio Athletic League meet championship Friday night.

In the end, the Tigers outlasted the Indians, winning the 1600 relay - the final event of the night. Liberty Center placed first with 149 points, followed by Wauseon's 148, Archbold 109, Evergreen 68, Bryan 64, Delta 45, Montpelier 36, Patrick Henry 27, and Swanton 14.

In the NWOAL boys competition, Archbold dominated with 166 points, followed by Bryan with 98, Patrick Henry 80, Wauseon 77, Swanton 72, Evergreen 50, Montpelier 44, Delta 40, and Liberty Center 33.

Liberty Center girls won the 400 relay (52.77); Evergreen the 800 relay (1:49.0). Archbold took first in the 1600 relay (4:12.78).

Allison Righi of Liberty Center cleared 5-2 to win the high jump; Bryan's Alyssa McBride won the pole vault (12-6). Archbold's Kinsey Smith won the long jump with an effort of 16-1.50.

Liberty Center's Ali Busick won the shot put (35-11.50); Delta's Alexa Salsbury won the discus event (114-9).

Wauseon's Kendall Weber won the 100 hurdles (15.74) and the Indians' 3200 relay took first (9:55.79).

Visit link:
Liberty Center girls, Archbold boys reign

Posted in Liberty | Comments Off on Liberty Center girls, Archbold boys reign

Congratulations to Steve Jackson Games!

Posted: at 7:14 pm

Just a quick note to let you know (if you havent already heard the cheering in the streets) that Steve Jackson Games (SJG) finished its OGRE Kickstarter project with $923,680 raised in backer funding. Yes, thats right almost (pinky to corner of mouth) one million dollars raised for a game that sold well over 30 years ago for $5 and came in a small plastic baggie.

One major milestone that was reached was the $700,000 mark which is where SJG promised to do a Car Wars Kickstarter campaign. Ill be writing up a Retro Review hopefully in the next few weeks on Car Wars, but the bad news is that we wont likely see the Car Wars Kickstarter for some time and the actual game isnt expected to be delivered (if its successfully funded yeah, right!) until late 2013. Of course, this gives all of us who backed OGRE plenty of time to start saving our pennies, selling plasma, and/or visiting Vegas to raise the proper funds that this next SJG Kickstarter will surely devour.

SJG definitely has a handle on how to deal with stretch rewards, and every time we (backers) thought wed reached the maximum money that could be raised along would come another stretch award that enticed a large number to either increase their funding or another large number to finally make the commitment.

2012 and 2013 are going to be interesting times for SJG fans, and I imagine that the success of this Kickstarter campaign is going to have other gaming companies looking at reviving some of their old titles. (I would love to see SJGs Illuminati redone, but one big non-SJG game on my wish list would be Traveller.)

What about you? Any classic games youd like to see given the Kickstarter treatment? And dont say Metamorphosis Alpha that ones already been successfully funded!

Congratulations to Steve Jackson Games!

Author James Floyd Kelly lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and two sons. He is the founder of thenxtstep.com (LEGO Mindstorms blog) and his latest books are "Teach Yourself iOS 5 in 10 Minutes" and "Mars Base Command."

Read more by James Floyd Kelly

Follow @JamesFloydKelly on Twitter.

Read more:
Congratulations to Steve Jackson Games!

Posted in Illuminati | Comments Off on Congratulations to Steve Jackson Games!

UK court rules Nokia infringed patent, Finns party on anyway

Posted: at 7:14 pm

A top UK court has ruled that Nokia's old 3G handsets infringed a telecoms patent owned by technology warehouse IPCom, which wants a ban on every mobile made by the Finns.

The Court of Appeal yesterday rejected Nokia's attempt to dismiss IPCom's case against it. The two companies, both of which claimed victory, continue to argue over the validity, applicability and utility of mobile phone patents originally filed by Bosch.

This latest ruling means that, in the eyes of UK law, Nokia's older handsets infringed IPCom's patent EP 1 841 268, but that's far from the end of the matter. The Finns are still hoping to have the patent invalidated at a European level, and got a ruling along those lines from European Patent Office last week - a ruling against which IPCom is appealing against.

If IPCom is successful then Nokia will be running out of places to go, but if the patent family is indeed ruled invalid at an EU level then its IPCom who'll be looking for alternative vectors of attack.

Not that it is bereft of options, the EP 1 841 268 is only one of the patents which IPCom acquired from Bosch when the engineering company decided to get out of mobile telephony. IPCom launched its case against Nokia in 2007 and both parties have been pissing money into lawyers' pockets since then.

The patent covers the mechanism used by a 3G phone to prioritise calls made by a specific group; so when the New World Order seizes control of Earth, Illuminati agents will be able to make calls despite our overloaded networks. That's part of the 3G standard (the priority, not the Illuminati), but the mechanism by which agents' phone identify themselves is open to patent. IPCom reckons that phones from Nokia, and just about everyone else, use a mechanism covered by its patent, or did until 2008 at least.

When Nokia launched the N96 it changed the way in which phones identify themselves, and since then the Finns have introduced half a dozen variations - some of which have been ruled as non-infringing. Nokia claims everything after the N96 is unencumbered, but IPCom disputes that and also reckons Nokia's refusal to share all the details of the new mechanisms (which are commercially sensitive) means it can't be certain Nokia isn't still infringing.

During the case against which Nokia was appealing the Finns argued that the patent was too obvious, that it was a natural development and that modifications made it too broad. The court rejected those arguments, Nokia appealed against that decision, and has now lost that appeal.

IPCom claims to be offering Nokia a FRAND (Fair, Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory) deal, but FRAND is normally reserved for patents that are essential if a device is going to conform to a standard, something Nokia fiercely disputes. FRAND is also normally a reciprocal arrangement between companies within an industry, but IPCom is in the patent-exploitation industry.

Next stage is the EU court, but if IPCom wins then Nokia will only be the first casualty of IPCom's ongoing business model.

Read the rest here:
UK court rules Nokia infringed patent, Finns party on anyway

Posted in Illuminati | Comments Off on UK court rules Nokia infringed patent, Finns party on anyway

Senate advances measures to bolster Second Amendment rights of Oklahomans

Posted: at 7:12 pm

The full Senate this week advanced two measures to strengthen the Second Amendment rights of Oklahomans. The proposals now await the Governors signature.

Senate Bill 1733, by State Sen. Anthony Sykes and State Rep. Jeff Hickman, would allow citizens licensed to carry a firearm under the Oklahoma Self Defense Act to carry their weapon openly or concealed. SB 1733 passed the Senate Thursday.

Approved by the Senate on Wednesday, Senate Bill 1760, by Sen. Sykes and Speaker Designate State Rep. T.W. Shannon, would prevent cities or state government from disarming citizens during a state of emergency.

The Legislature has made it clear that Oklahomans will have the right to defend themselves, said Sykes, R-Moore. The right to self-defense is God given and inalienable, and we intend to do everything in our power to defend it. This legislation further guarantees this right will not be taken from Oklahomans who choose to protect themselves and their families.

Another important Second Amendment measure, Senate Bill 875, has now been signed by the Governor.

Originally posted here:
Senate advances measures to bolster Second Amendment rights of Oklahomans

Posted in Second Amendment | Comments Off on Senate advances measures to bolster Second Amendment rights of Oklahomans

Letter: Free speech must be protected for all individuals, groups

Posted: at 7:12 pm

Recently the Deseret News printed what to me may be the most terrifying words published in this country since the Intolerable Acts of 1774 ("Government taking a scythe to the Bill of Rights," George Will, May 6). Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass; Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and others have introduced a proposed amendment to the Constitution to restrict the rights of political speech to apply only to individuals and to allow Congress to curtail the collective speech rights of any group with which the Congress does not agree.

By itself, this is monstrous, but the implied extended and unintended consequences of this act would mean the extinction of the Bill of Rights as we know it. Yet besides Will's column, I haven't heard one word of criticism of this proposal.

This proposal is outrageous. Yet everyone I talk to says, " It will never happen". But the same was probably said just before President Andrew Jackson ignored the Supreme Court and enforced the Indian Removal Act. Or just before Bill Clinton created the Grand Staircase National Monument. The fact that this has been proposed by a ranking member of Congress indicates it is possible.

The leadership of both parties should repudiate this immediately. The sponsors should withdraw the proposal and apologize to the nation for having even considered the notion.

Thomas W. Brown

Murray

Continue reading here:
Letter: Free speech must be protected for all individuals, groups

Posted in Free Speech | Comments Off on Letter: Free speech must be protected for all individuals, groups

Jay Ambrose: The ups and downs of free speech

Posted: at 7:12 pm

Leftists are killing free speech by calling disagreements hate speech and finding ways to intimidate even those who facilitate debate. But one victim recently fought back, showing us some Americans will stand up for a principle giving truth a chance to emerge. Mark Stevens, I think, is someone to emulate.

Stevens is a smart, tough guy from Queens. His father died when he was 17, leaving the family $84, an amount challenging the youth's initiative. All Stevens wanted was a chance. This country provided him with plenty, and today he is head of a hugely successful marketing firm, MSCO Inc. It advertises all over the place, including on the Rush Limbaugh radio show in New York.

It's because of that sponsorship that Stevens encountered the anti-speech "terrorists," a word he used in an interview with me in Colorado Springs. He was there to speak at a gathering of conservative think tanks about events after Limbaugh employed a nasty name to describe a woman involved in a public issue he had been discussing. It was an inexcusable slur, and Stevens hardly approved, but did not expect what would then come his way.

It was indeed an attack of crazies, people threatening Stevens with "surveillance," promising busloads of visits to his residence if he did not drop his advertising, telling even the female employees who answered the phone that they were "women haters."

Stevens pushed back, recognizing from the similarities that this was an organized hit. He went on the Limbaugh show and Fox News shows to denounce these thugs, increased his advertising and found great support in thousands of emails, faithful clients and even people volunteering to protect him.

I guess those trying to scare Stevens into hiding expected a mouse. They got a lion, but in cases of this kind, there are plenty of mice out there, such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft Foods, McDonald's and Wendy's. Those are some of the companies that abandoned their membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council after extreme leftist groups emitted screeches about its support of such measures as stand-your-ground laws that permit self-defense when someone is trying to kill you.

What the council mostly likes as it effectively lobbies state legislatures is free enterprise, economic growth and jobs, but the left wants government control and portrays the organization in vicious terms.

Meanwhile, more tyranny loyalists have been on the march in the case of Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp. and its Fox News in America. In Great Britain, Labour Party members on a parliamentary committee denounced him as unfit to head a multinational news corporation. Hey, says Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, this means the Federal Communications Commission should revoke Fox's broadcast licenses, another anti-freedom absurdity of extreme leftist making.

At least we are not Denmark, where Lars Hedegaard, head of the Danish Free Press Society, was put on trial for saying in a private exchange that there were a disturbing number of cases of misogyny and family rape in some Muslim areas. In three different court decisions, he was found innocent, then guilty, then in late April finally innocent again of hate speech, for which he could have been imprisoned. Even if he had meant to make his observations public, so what? People cannot talk about such things even if they are true? Somebody's feelings might be hurt? What about stopping rapes?

Free speech evolved slowly and very, very painfully in the West. Even in America, where it has taken its greatest leaps forward, it has had continuous ups and downs, although we seemed to have arrived at some understanding that this is a supreme freedom without which there is vastly reduced hope for the others. Lately, people who like to call themselves progressives have been playing a frighteningly regressive game with this freedom, but there remains a great hope in America: citizens like Mark Stevens.

Read more from the original source:
Jay Ambrose: The ups and downs of free speech

Posted in Free Speech | Comments Off on Jay Ambrose: The ups and downs of free speech