Daily Archives: October 24, 2012

I can say what I want, even if it offends someone. And so can you.

No American government official, high or low, federal, state or local, can silence our freedom of expression whether it's our views on politics, public issues or religious faith.

If someone says something we don't like, we can freely express ourselves in opposition, even if that speaker is a mayor, governor or as we see clearly this election year the president or his opponent.

Not so in many other nations, where governments control news and information, and an intemperate remark or nonconforming view can bring condemnation, prosecution or even death.

Americans simply view freedom of speech differently from much of the world, where freedom from some speech also is seen as a right.

For example: Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, speaking Sept. 26 at the United Nations: Egypt respects freedom of expression. One that is not used to incite hatred against anyone. One that is not directed towards one specific religion or culture. A freedom of expression that tackles extremism and violence. Not the freedom of expression that deepens ignorance and disregards others.

Under the First Amendment, and over the past 90 years in our courts, we have developed law that sets specific criteria for the rare times we can be prosecuted and punished for what we say. Threats must pose real, imminent danger against a specific person to run afoul of the law. Criticism and public commentary, however vile, are seen as less of a negative than the alternative government control of what we say, leading to control of what we think.

Vulgarity may shock public tastes, but no government officials have the right to silence us simply because they are offended. Bigotry may be condemned by the many even as it is embraced by the few, but no court sits in judgment on the viewpoint. Blasphemy may enrage the faithful or entertain the faithless, but no religious council has secular power to silence the blasphemer.

Still, in the wake of the video Innocence of Muslims, angry mobs overseas have demanded prosecution of the film's maker and action by the Obama administration to force YouTube to remove it. Failure to do so is seen by many abroad as American government acceptance if not encouragement of the anti-Islam message.

Why the disconnect? The reasons for the violence, including the despicable attacks that killed the U.S. ambassador in Libya and three other Americans, are complex. But consider that in many nations, any public expression occurs with official approval or support. In those places with an official state religion, no blasphemy is tolerated.

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Silence: Much of world wants freedom from speech, not of it

Tue. October 23, 2012 |

TAMPA Freedom wasted little time putting Wiregrass Ranch on its heels Tuesday night, scoring the first 12 points.

Then it knocked the Bulls on their backs. Finally, it made sure they stayed right there.

From start to finish, the Patriots were in control, winning the Class 7A, District 9 semifinal 25-16, 28-26, 22-25, 25-17 at Gaither. Freedom lost both matches against the Bulls this season, but rode the efforts of big-hitting high-flying Jasmyn Perry into the championship match for the third straight season.

Its always a tough battle against Wiregrass, even in the losses, Freedom coach Kerry Short said. But I figured if we came out strong and got the first few matches, we could finish them off.

Freedom (16-10) probably finished the Bulls off in the second set. The Patriots trailed most of the second against a resilient Bulls squad.

Freedom rallied from a 22-20 deficit to tie. An errant ball redirected off a pipe and back past the pursuing Patriots to put the Bulls back ahead 23-22. And the Patriots survived a pair of match-point leads of 24-23 and 25-24 before Perrys kill set up a match point that Wiregrass Ranch hit into the net.

Even a third-set win by the Bulls (17-6) wasnt enough to reverse Freedoms momentum.

Perry took over the final set. She had five kills in the first 10 points, and even when she made a mistake passing too close to the net the ball managed to trickle over and tie up the Bulls.

She finished with 21 kills.

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District volleyball roundup: Freedom finally gets past Wiregrass Ranch

The World Trade Center can rise again.

The Port Authority has settled a dispute with a Canadian company that it had accused of holding the steel for the new WTC's massive antenna "hostage."

ADF Steel had been refusing to ship the custom made pieces for the spire until the site's owner, the Port Authority, paid up the millions ADF said the agency owed them for other products.

The PA said it's contract for the spire steel specifically barred ADF from linking delivery of the pieces to payment for other projects, and that it was obligated to ship the steel because payments for the antenna pieces were up to date.

AP

The World Trade Center and Freedom Tower.

The PA also charged that if ADF delayed delivery for much longer, it would have dire consequences, delaying construction until the spring and forcing layoffs on 100 iron workers.

In statements issued this morning, ADF and the PA said they had settled their differences.

The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ADF said it "enables the delivery and erection of the spire to proceed as scheduled."

See more here:
'Freedom' can keep growing

NEW ORLEANS, Oct.23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Aimed at garnering a million thanks for US military veterans, from those who served during WWII to current day, The National WWII Museum announces "Thank You for My Freedom," a social media campaign centered around the website http://www.myveteransday.org where users can post videos, photos and messages expressing appreciation to all who have served in the armed forces.

The effort deploys dedicated YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and smart phone messages to ask Americans to express their gratitude to veterans for defending and protecting our freedom. The campaign builds on a heartfelt video last year that prompted the posting of more than 100,000 thank you messages from across the country and around the world. This year's effort is a lead up to the Museum's Veterans Day celebrations on Sunday, November 11, that will include a Moment of Silence at 11 a.m. and, on Saturday, November 10, a moving Celebration of Heroes ceremony at 3 p.m.

"We were thrilled to see the response last year through our social media outlets," said Dr. Gordon H. "Nick" Mueller, president and chief executive officer of The National WWII Museum in New Orleans. "This year, we are building on that success and hope to reach a million 'thank yous' to demonstrate our gratitude to the American military, not only for those from the WWII generation, but returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan, and all others who served their nation so bravely."

Participants can also text THANKS to 51555, or "write," "snap" and "shoot" thanks to the Museum's social media outlets including Twitter and Facebook. To upload photographs and videos and see what others have done visit http://www.myveteransday.org.

"We think of this as a digital tickertape parade to show vets how much America cares for them," says Museum Interactive Media Director Jonah Langenbeck. "It's so moving to see the expressions of gratitude come pouring in from all over the US and even from countries like the Netherlands, France and Italy where younger people thanked older Americans for liberating their countries from the Nazis. It gives you a sense of the support from a grassroots perspective."

This effort represents one Museum strategy for reaching out to younger generations, utilizing the tools by which they communicate. The Museum, now the number one attraction in New Orleans according to http://www.tripadvisor.com, will be opening its newest building, the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, in January 2013.

The Museum staff works with a sense of urgency as WWII veterans dying at a rate of 680 per day.

"It is our mission to ensure that the values and lessons of the WWII generation are passed on to succeeding ones," Mueller says.

In America, Veterans Day became the successor to Armistice Day, a holiday declared by many allied nations following WWI to honor military service members who died in the war. Veterans Day was signed into law on June 1, 1954. Traditionally, Veterans Day is observed with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery and community events across the nation. Veterans Day officially honors living veterans of wartime and peacetime service, but is often confused with Memorial Day, which exists to honor those who died serving our country.

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-day Museum and now designated by Congress as America's National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who served on the battlefront and the Home Front. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-528-1944 or visit http://www.nationalww2museum.org. Follow us on Twitter at WWIImuseum or visit our Facebook page.

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"Thank You for My Freedom" - The National WWII Museum Deploys Social Media to Support Our Veterans

Michael Ip/for New York Daily News The Port Authority announced it had reached an agreement with Canadian steel company ADF Steel Corp. that will allow One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower, to be completed on time.

The Freedom Tower is going to get its top hat on time.

The Port Authority announced Tuesday that the Canadian steel company supplying the last bit of steel for the antenna on top of the tower has agreed to start shipping the material.

The Port Authority sued ADF Steel Corp. of Ontario last week, charging the company was holding the steel pieces needed to complete One World Trade Center hostage over a $6 million dispute on another Port Authority project.

PA spokesman Steve Coleman said the agency and ADF have agreed on a price for the steel on the other project, the Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan. He declined to say how much the PA will pay, insisting the terms of the deal are confidential.

The deal means the lawsuit will be dropped and the steel for the tower antenna can set sail before Canadian shipping channels freeze over in winter.

The antenna is the last bit of exterior steel for the Freedom Tower and it is expected to be erected early in 2013. Interior work will continue for at least another 18 months.

The Port Authority expects tenants to start occupying the building in 2014.

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Deal reached for Freedom Tower on-time finish

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 22, 2012) - Thermador (http://www.thermador.com), the company that originated the built-in modular refrigeration concept, has solidified its stance as the best in the businesses -- three times over.

The fresh food and freezer columns, wine columns and bottom freezer refrigerators that make up Thermador's 2012 Freedom Collection now includes new products that have swept the top spots in the rankings released by a leading independent testing agency. The Freedom Bottom Freezer, Freedom French Door and Side-by-Side with Ice and Water Dispenser were rated Nos. 1, 2 and 3, by the agency respectively, and are part of a portfolio that includes more than 100 innovations and technical improvements.

"Thermador's 2012 luxury refrigeration portfolio is the perfect example of how our appliances continue evolving and stretching the capabilities of today's American kitchen," said Zach Elkin, director, brand marketing for Thermador. "Cooking and food preservation is at the heart of the Thermador brand, so accolades such as these lend proof to Thermador's ongoing commitment to becoming the luxury appliance category leader in terms of innovation, performance and design."

Improvements to the 2012 Thermador Freedom Collection include full-extension drawers and racks, full-extension wine racks with exotic hardwood, 3-D panel adjustability for ultra-flush installation and new ultra-bright theatre sidewall lighting with automatic dimming. The entire line also is ENERGY STAR qualified.

Thermador's top-rated refrigeration units include:

The top-rated Thermador appliances also are part of the company's industry-leading value promotion, ONE, TWO, FREE, which gives culinary enthusiasts an opportunity to save up to $6,097 on purchasing the Thermador culinary kitchen of their dreams.

About Thermador Thermador has been providing real innovations for real cooks for more than 75 years. The iconic line of cooking, cleaning, refrigeration and ventilation products remains committed to empowering culinary enthusiasts to be their best through continuous innovation breakthroughs -- from the world's first wall ovens and gas cooktops with the patented Star Burner to the first full-surface induction cooktop.

Thermador is part of BSH Home Appliances Corporation, a fully-owned subsidiary of Bosch and Siemens Home Appliance Group, the third largest appliance manufacturer in the world. For more information, visit http://www.thermador.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/thermador and @ThermadorHome, respectively. For Thermador customer service, call 1-800-735-4328.

Follow Thermador: Twitter@ThermadorHome Facebookwww.facebook.com/thermador Blogwww.thermador.com/blog

Press Room: http://www.thermador.com/about/press-room

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Thermador Freedom(R) Collection Sweeps Top Rankings in Refrigeration Category

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government has waged one of the world's biggest crackdowns on press freedom in recent years, jailing more journalists than Iran, China or Eritrea, a leading media watchdog said on Monday.

The damning report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) added to a chorus of criticism from the European Union and rights groups of the EU-candidate country's mass detention of reporters, most of whom are kept in detention while their cases are dealt with.

Around two-thirds were journalists writing about the largely Kurdish southeast, where the government is fighting a separatist rebellion.

The U.S.-based watchdog criticized Erdogan's public disparagement of journalists, the use of pressure tactics to encourage self-censorship, and the launching of thousands of criminal cases against reporters on charges such as "denigrating Turkishness".

"Turkey's press freedom situation has reached a crisis point," the watchdog said in a 50-page report.

"The CPJ has found highly repressive laws ... a criminal procedure code that greatly favors the state; and a harsh anti-press tone set at the highest levels of government," it said.

Erdogan was first elected a decade ago with an overwhelming majority and has presided over a period of unprecedented prosperity, winning him admirers among Western nations keen to portray Turkey as an example in a troubled region.

But that success story has been undermined by growing criticism of the authoritarian style of his rule.

Hundreds of politicians, academics and journalists are in jail on charges of plotting against the government, while more than 300 army officers were convicted last month of conspiring against Erdogan almost a decade ago, and handed long jail terms.

Erdogan's government says most of the detainees are being held for serious crimes, such as membership of an armed terrorist organization, that have nothing to do with journalism.

Excerpt from:
Watchdog condemns Turkey's crackdown on press freedom

NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 22, 2012) - Fuel Freedom Foundation officially launched its campaign to end America's oil addiction with a major event held at the home of Eyal Aronoff in Newport Coast on October 20. The day's activities brought together leading experts and supporters who share a commitment to opening markets to competition from replacement fuels for gasoline.

Fuel Freedom Foundation was founded by Eyal Aronoff and Yossie Hollander, with the belief that the markets are the solution to ending America's oil addiction. If the markets are open to replacement fuels like ethanol, methanol and natural gas, this will break the monopoly on global oil, eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, and end America's addiction to oil.

The Oct. 20 event, attended by more than 500 guests featured remarks by Aronoff and Hollander, as well as Fuel Freedom Advisory Board Members R. James Woolsey, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Peter Goldmark, former Rockefeller Foundation President; Gal Luft, Co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Securitas; and friend to Fuel Freedom Foundation John Hofmeister, the former CEO of Shell.

"The high cost of oil impacts our economy, our families, our national security, our environment and our health," said Aronoff. "We founded Fuel Freedom because it's time to introduce cheaper, cleaner, healthier, American-made fuels, like natural gas, ethanol and methanol into the transportation fuel market. With these fuels, we could have $2-a-gallon transportation fuel tomorrow. We are asking all Americans to stand with us to end our nation's addiction to oil."

"We have the support of the most influential business leaders, environmentalists, national security experts, intellectuals and thought leaders in America, all of whom believe the absence of competition in the fuel market is the biggest threat facing America today," said Hollander.

Stray Cats' Lee Rocker and Los Lobos performed at the event, and Sir Richard Branson offered his support for the launch of Fuel Freedom with a video appearance. Also featured were segments of an upcoming documentary by award-winning filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell, and the winning videos from Fuel Freedom's first video competition, held in partnership with Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.

Earlier in the day, University of California, San Diego economist James Hamilton joined Woolsey, Goldmark, Hofmeister and Luft at a luncheon where they addressed topics central to the fight to end America's addiction to oil. Subjects included rising global oil prices over the next decade, which will cripple the U.S. economy, the threats to U.S. national security posed by oil, and the rapid development of replacements fuels as a realistic solution to oil independence.

About Fuel Freedom The Fuel Freedom Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the U.S. economy's oil addiction by powering our cars and trucks with cheaper, cleaner, healthier American replacement fuels. Consumers could easily convert their cars to run on replacement fuels for gasoline, but outdated regulations and entrenched commercial interests stand in the way. The Fuel Freedom campaign aims to remove barriers to competition so that natural gas, methanol, ethanol and electricity can compete on equal footing with gasoline at the pump and at the dealership. Achieving Fuel Freedom will lower fuel prices, create jobs, spur economic growth, reduce pollution, and improve national and global security. For more information, go to the Foundation's website at http://www.fuelfreedom.org; Facebook: FuelFreedomFoundation; and Twitter: @FuelFreedomNow.

Originally posted here:
Fuel Freedom Foundation Launches Campaign to End America's Oil Addiction