Monthly Archives: May 2012

Ill. State Rep. wants citizens to sign concealed carry petition.

Posted: May 17, 2012 at 12:22 pm

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.-- State Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) is asking Second Amendment supporters to sign a petition supporting the passage of House Bill 148 which would allow law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed weapon.

"Illinois is the only state in the union without a concealed carry law in the books," Bost said. "I am urging citizens in favor of concealed carry legislation to sign our petition urging Speaker Madigan to release conceal carry legislation out of the House Rules Committee and onto the House floor for a vote before we adjourn later this month."

Illinois is the only state in the nation that has no procedures in place for law-abiding citizens to apply for concealed carry permits. In 2008's Heller Decision, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized gun ownership as an individual right. In 2010, the Supreme Court overturned Chicago's long-standing handgun ban, ruling that the Second Amendment limits state and local governments to the same extent that it limits the federal government.

"There has never been a better time to get conceal carry legislation on the books in Illinois. I am hoping we can garner enough signatures to get the attention of leaders from the Chicago area to get a vote this spring," said Bost.

Representative Bost is urging Second Amendment supporters to visit his website to sign the conceal carry petition. Youcandothat by,clickinghere.

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Ill. State Rep. wants citizens to sign concealed carry petition.

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Rowes say right to carry vote likely to pass soon

Posted: at 12:22 pm

Mike and Valinda Rowe, local Second Amendment activists, report that a vote may be imminent on HB148, the family and personal protection bill which recognizes the right to carry a firearm for personal protection.

Having just returned from a five day blitz of right to carry town hall meetings in the Chicago/Cook County area, and keeping in close communication with the bill sponsors, the Rowes expect a vote in the House of Representatives within the next two weeks.

"We don't need everyone to vote for the bill," said Valinda Rowe. "Rep. Brandon Phelps of Harrisburg, and chief sponsor of the bill, believes he is only a couple votes short of the super majority of 71 needed to pass the bill.

"We have been targeting those districts which have representatives who appear to be on the fence about this issue. It was a grueling schedule but we have good folks from Second Amendment Sisters and the ISRA joining us at the town hall meetings. We work so well together it's like they have become like family."

The Rowes said they have been hearing good things from the State Capitol in Springfield since their return. They are very optimistic at this time that the bill can pass the House and things appear to be shaping up in the Senate as well. If the bill get this through both houses in May, the right to carry lobby will be ready to go for the override of the governor's promised veto in the fall veto session.

"Nothing is a slam dunk at this point, but things are looking very good for our side right now," Valinda added.

Lawsuits challenging the state's ban on carrying a firearm for personal protection are making their way through the federal judicial system. Both the Second Amendment Foundation case on behalf of local plaintiff Peggy Fechter and IllinoisCarry.com (Moore vs. Madigan) and the NRA lawsuit on behalf of Mary Shepard from Anna (Shepard vs.` Madigan) were both dismissed in federal district court and have been appealed to the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the court which handed out a stinging ruling against the city of Chicago's ban on gun ranges in the Ezell vs. Chicago lawsuit.

The oral arguments for the Shephard and Moore case will be heard Friday, June 8, and a ruling can be expected sometime in August.

"When Valinda and I started pushing the right to carry issue several years ago, we had legislators literally laugh at us and say 'never in Illinois.' Well, they aren't laughing now," Mike Rowe said. "It has been a long hard battle and we are ready for a victory. We just hope it comes this year."

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Feel free to insult but not in India – Freedom of speech cry in UK

Posted: at 12:21 pm

A Conservative politician and a gay rights activist have combined forces to promote the cause of free speech in Britain, the campaign gathering steam at a time a cartoon led to a furore in the Indian Parliament.

The campaign, under the slogan Feel free to insult me, is against a law banning insulting language and behaviour and has brought together religious and secular groups along with human rights and minority organisations.

Right-wing Tory David Davis, a former shadow home secretary, said the law was strangling free speech and should be scrapped.

Davis, once expected to become the Conservative Party leader, said Section 5 of the 1986 Public Order Act was having a terrible, chilling effect on democracy.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who has himself been arrested under Section 5, agreed. The open exchange of ideas including unpalatable, even offensive, ideas is a hallmark of a free and democratic society, he said.

It is commendable that David Davis and the Christian Institute are prepared to work with a gay Left-wing green atheist secularist like me, he added. Were all putting the right to free speech before our personal politics and beliefs.

In India, a seven-decade-old cartoon in a Class XI textbook showing Jawaharlal Nehru purportedly whipping B.R. Ambedkar to hurry him up with the Constitution created a furore in Parliament and forced an apology from a minister outside the House.

In Calcutta last month, a Jadavpur University professor was arrested for circulating the clip of a joke that lampooned Mamata Banerjee and a central minister. The Bengal chief minister recently said the email lampooning her amounted to character assassination and couldnt be termed a cartoon.

Tatchell said the Section 5 ban on insults was a menace to liberty. It has been abused to variously arrest or threaten with arrest people protesting non-violently against abortion and for gay equality and animal welfare. Other victims include Christian street preachers, critics of scientology and even students making jokes.

Under the legislation, the use of insulting words or behaviour is outlawed, but opponents say there is too little clarity on what that includes, leading to spurious arrests. One teenage boy was arrested for holding a Scientology is a dangerous cult placard and a student was held for telling a police officer his horse was gay, they said.

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Public Order Act: Free speech 'strangled by law that bans insults'

Posted: at 12:21 pm

Campaigners say Public Order Act is unclear and has resulted in string of controversial arrests Groups join forces to have insulting words or behaviour phrase removed from legislation Former shadow home secretary David Davis: 'Nobody likes to be insulted, but nor does anyone have a right not to be insulted'

By James Chapman

PUBLISHED: 17:37 EST, 15 May 2012 | UPDATED: 04:00 EST, 16 May 2012

Reform: Campaign groups have urged Home Secretary Theresa May to modify the controversial Public Order Act

Theresa May is being urged to reform a controversial law which bans insulting words or behaviour amid mounting evidence that it is strangling free speech.

Campaigners say the Public Order Act is being abused by over-zealous police and prosecutors to arrest Christian street preachers, critics of Scientology, gay rights campaigners and even students making jokes.

Currently, Section 5 of the 1986 Act outlaws insulting words or behaviour, but what constitutes insulting is unclear and has resulted in a string of controversial arrests.

Human rights campaigners, MPs, faith groups and secular organisations have joined forces to have the insulting words or behaviour phrase removed from the legislation, arguing that it restricts freedom of speech and penalises campaigners, protesters and even preachers.

Former shadow home secretary David Davis, a leading campaigner for civil liberties, said reform was vital to protecting freedom of expression in Britain today.

There is a growing list of examples where the law against using insulting language has led to heavy-handed action by police and prosecutors. It is not only distressing for the individuals concerned, it constitutes a threat to Britains tradition of free speech, he said.

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Wanted for a Successful Retirement: A Debt-Freedom Plan

Posted: May 16, 2012 at 8:13 am

Paying down debt more important than saving for retirement for many homeowners Debt-freedom expectations change as people age Many Canadian homeowners will continue to work until they achieve debt freedom before retiring Manulife Bank surveyed 2,003 Canadians Audio clips and infographic attached

TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFCSEHK:945

WATERLOO, ON, May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Nearly nine in 10 Canadian homeowners (87%) indicate that "being debt-free" is very important to their definition of a successful retirement according to a recent debt and retirement survey conducted by Manulife Bank of Canada. This is second only to "having good health" (94%) and slightly higher than "having sufficient income to maintain my current lifestyle" (85%).

This is the first time that Manulife Bank has focused on surveying Canadians about debt in the context of retirement planning. The survey found that half of Canadians - more women (54%) than men (46%) - would find it extremely stressful to reach retirement age with debt still outstanding.

Interestingly, many non-financial factors such as "living near family" (62%), "keeping busy with a hobby or volunteer work" (64%), and "having a broad group of friends" (43%) were deemed much less important to a successful retirement than being debt-free.

"The results from this survey strongly support the fact that, for a successful retirement, people need to pay close attention to not just their retirement savings, but debt repayment as well," stated Doug Conick, President and CEO of Manulife Bank of Canada.

Similarities and differences across Canada

While Canadians are relatively consistent in their views on debt, some regional differences stood out:

Debt-freedom expectations change as people get older

Manulife Bank's debt and retirement survey found that three in four Canadian homeowners consider debt-freedom to be among their top financial goals - a finding that is relatively consistent with Manulife Bank's past consumer debt studies. However, their expectation about when they will actually achieve debt-freedom appears to be largely dependent upon their age.

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Wanted for a Successful Retirement: A Debt-Freedom Plan

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Syrians vow to fight for freedom

Posted: at 8:13 am

Syrian refugee camps: Lives in limbo

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Read more entries about the situation in Syria at "Anderson Cooper 360"

Syria-Turkey border (CNN) -- The dead are everywhere.

Nonexistent until last June, the encampment of about 1,600 people now is a haven of peace compared with the terror experienced in the country just 300 yards away. Housed in neat, white tents in southern Turkey, with cooking stations in between, people here do not have to worry about being silenced, tortured, arrested or killed.

In other words, they don't live in fear of what they say happened all around them on a daily basis -- and still happens -- in their war-torn nation of Syria.

EU slaps new santions on Syria

They are, however, left with the memories of people killed. And they share them freely, in the form of grainy videos showing their loved ones' funerals, pictures on cell phones of their missing sons and stories about the horrors they escaped but many of their countrymen still endure.

"They want the world to understand them. They want the world to bear witness," Fouad Ajami, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, said Monday from the camp. "They also see the camera as a way of holding onto the memory of this lost world, a world that is very achingly close."

The fighting has prompted thousands to flee Syria, setting up new lives in a number of makeshift camps in neighboring nations. The United Nations estimates at least 9,000 people have been killed over the past 14 months in Syria.

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AxioMed Spine Corporation Receives CE Mark for Freedom® Cervical Disc

Posted: at 8:13 am

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

AxioMed Spine Corporation (www.axiomed.com) announces the receipt of CE Mark approval for its Freedom Cervical Disc, an elastomeric total spinal disc replacement device. The CE Mark approval was received as a result of an accredited European Notified Body conformity assessment of the Companys complete portfolio of biocompatibility and biomechanical cervical disc testing and supporting data regarding the Freedom technology. AxioMeds first product was the Freedom Lumbar Disc which received CE Mark in 2009. The CE Mark clears AxioMed for the introduction of the Freedom Cervical Disc into the EU Market. AxioMed is an ISO 13485:2003 certified manufacturer of the Freedom Lumbar and Cervical Discs.

Patrick McBrayer, AxioMeds President and CEO stated, With the Freedom Lumbar and Cervical Discs now both CE Marked, we will be able to provide a complete next generation elastomeric disc product line for patients and surgeons in the EU. Our EU lumbar clinical data, published in peer reviewed spine journals, demonstrate that Freedom technology has been shown to provide patients pain relief, reduced disability and improved lifestyle, based on monitored outcomes and feedback. We are also active in our multi-center pivotal clinical study under an Investigational Device Exemption for our Freedom Lumbar Disc with both efficacy and economic endpoints. Our goal is to have the most advanced and complete total disc product line in the US and EU.

Jim Kuras, the Companys Chief Operating Officer added, The Freedom Cervical Disc was developed by an experienced team of surgeons and engineers, taking advantage of the attributes of the lumbar technology and advancing the technology platform into the cervical spine. The cervical discs unique asymmetrical design and biomechanics evolve beyond first generation total disc technologies, better accommodating the cervical anatomy and spinal function. Complementing the differentiated design, multiple footprints and heights with wedge angles provide the surgeon with an array of implants to address the patient specific surgical requirements.

Neal Defibaugh, AxioMeds Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, went on to comment, AxioMeds extensive pre-clinical and clinical experience with the Freedom technology was instrumental in providing a solid regulatory foundation for achieving a CE Mark approval on our Freedom Cervical Disc. We have leveraged our Freedom technology for the cervical disc regulatory pathway and timing in obtaining the CE Mark and we anticipate a similar advantage for our future US FDA IDE approval efforts.

The Freedom Cervical Disc is a viscoelastic one-piece, next generation total disc replacement featuring a polymer core, designed with the goal of restoring function of the spine and reducing pain and disability. CE Mark approval allows for the commercial distribution of the Freedom Cervical Disc throughout the European Union. AxioMeds Freedom Lumbar Disc has also attained a CE Mark, is commercially available in select countries in the EU and is under evaluation in an ongoing multi-center US and EU IDE pivotal clinical study designed with efficacy, safety and economic endpoints.

About AxioMedSpine Corporation

AxioMeds mission is to develop products focused on spinal function for patients with degenerative spine disease, thus advancing the standard of care beyond fusion and first generation discs. The Freedom Lumbar and Cervical Discs have been developed and designed by a team of clinicians and experts in the fields of biomechanics, pathology, spinal surgery and polymer science. Focusing on restoration of the natural function of the spine, AxioMed will enhance human health through research, innovation, development and service world-wide. For more information about AxioMed, please visit our web site at http://www.axiomed.com.

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Liberty mulls zoning to build wind farms

Posted: at 8:13 am

By Leonard Sparks

Published: 2:00 AM - 05/16/12

LIBERTY A study identifying three sites in Liberty as potentially suitable for a community-owned wind-energy project is spurring talk of new zoning rules.

Supervisor Charlie Barbuti recommended the town consider guidelines to cover wind energy at Liberty's May 7

Town Board meeting.

The board met one day after the Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development held a public forum to review four sites identified in an ongoing study of suitable places for a wind farm.

"I came away from the (community) meeting thinking it's something that would be important," Barbuti said. "We don't address geothermal; we don't address solar; we don't address the new technologies."

Sullivan Alliance invited residents to the Liberty Senior Center on May 6 to unveil one site on Thunder Hill Road in Grahamsville and three Liberty sites that might be viable for a wind farm.

The areas in Liberty include Walnut Mountain Park, a ridge just north of Old Loomis Road, and another ridge east of Route 17 near Tanzman Road.

The ongoing study is being funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. Part of the funding is being used to identify shovel-ready sites that might be ideal for a small wind farm. A 5.4-megawatt farm could generate $1.4 million in revenues, according to SASD's presentation. The study envisions such a system owned by local groups or by municipalities.

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LIBERTY Dental Plan Introduces Mobile App

Posted: at 8:13 am

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

LIBERTY Dental Plan (LIBERTY) is releasing their new mobile app with predictive Automatic Call Distribution (ACD). LIBERTY members across the United States can now access LIBERTYs most popular online dental features via smart phones.

Using this free, easy-to-use mobile app, members can access their account information, view dental benefits and co-pays, find a dentist, get answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and contact LIBERTY Member Services without waiting in a call queue.

Drumbi, a leader in enterprise communications, uses predictive ACD technology embedded into the app to enhance communications between the member and LIBERTY customer services. Callers can directly access a LIBERTY Member Services Representative, and be personally greeted by a friendly, live voice who is automatically prompted with the members basic information at the time of the call.

Were excited to be a leader in the dental insurance industry offering a mobile app that will dramatically enhance member service communications, said Dr. Amir Neshat, LIBERTY's Founder, President and CEO. I am particularly excited that LIBERTY can offer innovative solutions to our clients, bringing us ever closer to meeting and exceeding standards in efficiency and quality.

We are privileged to have been selected by LIBERTY Dental Plan as a core component of their operational transformation, Shervin Talieh, CEO of Drumbi, said. LIBERTY's mission is to provide a superior member and provider experience while creating tremendous operational efficiency as they continue their rapid growth. The benefit of self-service technology is tied to consumers knowing they have control of their options. Drumbi and LIBERTY are continuing their efforts together to design another integrated app specifically for dental providers.

LIBERTY Dental Mobile is available now free of charge in the iPhone App Store and in Google Play for Android. For more information, visit http://www.libertydentalplan.com/mobile.

About LIBERTY Dental Plan

LIBERTY Dental Plan specializes in commercial and government sponsored dental programs, providing services to managed care organizations, state governments, labor unions, large group employers, municipalities, and individuals. With a vast majority of its membership enrolled in government sponsored programs, LIBERTY is recognized as a specialist in administering dental care for Medicaid, SCHIP and Medicare beneficiaries. LIBERTY has a proven record of successfully increasing the utilization of quality dental care for multiple programs, ensuring that a larger portion of premiums are appropriated directly to care.

LIBERTY Dental Plan is also recognized as an industry leader in the area of Dental Disease Management. A member of The Care Continuum Alliance (carecontinuum.org), LIBERTY shares their commitment to promote high quality standards for and definitions of key components of wellness, disease, case management where appropriate, and care coordination programs as well as support services and materials.

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Liberty Mines Continues to Expand Nickel Mineralization at its Hart Deposit

Posted: at 8:13 am

TSX: LBE

TORONTO , May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Liberty Mines Inc. ("Liberty" or the "Company") today announced results from a deep drill program on its Hart Nickel Deposit that suggests increased mineralization at depth. The drilling program is consistent with the Company's strategy to add to its current resource base, and support production activities at its 2,000 ton per day Redstone Mill.

"These drill results demonstrate the potential for adding significant tonnage to the Hart resource and support our belief that there are deeper deposits within the Shaw Dome region," commented Chris Stewart , President & CEO of Liberty Mines. "We are very encouraged by the mineralization in the drill holes along with the results of the down the hole geophysics we carried out on the three deep drill holes. The current indicated resource of 1.55 million tonnes at the Hart deposit ends at a depth of about 550m below surface. These new deep drill hole intersections suggest we could add significant tonnes to the overall Hart resources at depth."

An intercept of 0.96% Ni over a drilled width of 0.9 meters from 795.6 to 796.5 meters in drill hole H-12-31A occurred at a vertical depth of 780 meters below surface. In addition, an intercept of 0.6% Ni over a drilled width of 3.5 meters occurred from 786.8 to 790.3 meters. The Hart Deposit has an indicated resource of 1,546,000 tonnes grading 1.4% Nickel from surface to approximately 550 meters below surface. In late 2011, Liberty Mines drilled a deep hole targeting the vertical projection of a VTEM airborne conductor. Drill hole H-11-23 intersected 1.24% Ni over a drilled width of 3.6 meters approximately 550 meters vertically below surface ( Dec 14, 2011 press release). The recent intercept in drill hole H-12-31A occurs approximately 270 meters down dip of drill hole H-11-23.

Recently, a borehole geophysical survey was performed on both of these drill holes by Crone Geophysics and Exploration Ltd. The responses from the surveys suggest a significant conductor lies west of drill hole H-11-23 at an approximate depth of 580 meters and a conductive response also lies immediately east and below drill hole H-12-31A at an approximate vertical depth of 800 meters. Liberty Mines plans to drill test these conductive responses to build upon the recent deep drill hole intercepts.

On the Hart East project, a recent deep drill hole, H-11-30 intersected 1.02% Ni over a drilled width of 1.7 meters at approximately 650 meters vertically below surface ( March 26, 2012 press release). A borehole survey performed on this drill hole indicates a substantial off hole response to the east and above the deep intercept which could represent significant accumulations of nickel sulphides. Liberty is also planning to drill test this significant conductor to continue building upon a resource for the Hart East.

To see an image of the Hart & Hart East projects, click the following link: http://files.newswire.ca/1063/Hart_and_Hart_East.pdf

Currently, drilling is focused on a combined airborne VTEM and geochemical soil anomaly equidistant between the Hart and McWatters deposits. Results from the deep drilling on the Hart and Hart East programs are shown in the table below. These drill holes have been bore hole surveyed. The core lengths presented in the table are the intersected lengths, and the composite lengths are core weighted. True widths are unknown. Drill holes H-11-23 and H-11-30 previously reported.

Liberty's drill projects are being supervised by the Company's Vice President of Exploration, Peter Caldbick BSc, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The technical contents of the press release have been reviewed and approved by Peter Caldbick. A rigorous quality assurance program is employed which includes the insertion of standards and blanks for each batch of samples. Samples of the NQ size drill core are sawed in half, with one-half sent to a commercial laboratory, AGAT Laboratories Mississauga, Ontario, and the other half retained for future reference. Core samples are routinely analyzed for nickel and copper using sodium peroxide fusion and ICP finish. Any analyses greater than 5,000 ppm are re-analyzed using total acid digestion

About Liberty Mines Inc.

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