Category Archives: Freedom

MEXICO CITY

For the last 17 days, dozens of students have turned one of Mexicos top public research centers into a campsite.

Tents line the entrance to the Mexico City campus of the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics, better known as the CIDE. For students unwilling to brave the cold nights, classrooms have been cleared to make room for sleeping bags.

CIDE resist, says one protest sign. Another invokes Britney Spears recent legal victory: If Britney could, CIDE can too.

The occupiers are calling for the dismissal of the centers new government- appointed director, who caused anger by demoting several administrators and disparaging the school as a bastion of neoliberalism a serious insult in the leftist rhetoric of President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador.

Ximena Milln Cruz, a 21-year-old student, participates in a strike at the CIDE in Mexico City.

(Leila Miller / Los Angeles Times)

We werent prepared to do this, said Ximena Milln Cruz, a 21-year-old studying political science and international relations. This wasnt our first option, and if it was up to us, we wouldnt be here.

The saga has turned the small institution into the latest battleground over academic freedom in Mexico, with the president and Nobel Prize laureates among those speaking out.

The students have the support of many professors, some of whom worry that Lpez Obrador is trying to impose his politics on them.

The president, who won a landslide election on a populist platform of fighting corruption and prioritizing the poor, has repeatedly disparaged academics as a privileged group.

He has accused the CIDE and the massive National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM, of staying silent in the face of the countrys corruption, saying they house conservative academics who dont run risks of any kind to be able to ascend the social scale.

His critics say its more than rhetoric. They have expressed alarm at how federal prosecutors recently sought to jail 31 scientists for organized crime and financial crimes charges rejected by a judge.

They also point to the elimination of public trust funds that were used for scientific research, a move the president said was aimed at fighting corruption.

I think we are in the worst of the possible situations, said Antonio Lazcano, a biologist at the UNAM who has been an outspoken critic. You cant do quantum physics with traditional herbal medicine.

Mara Elena lvarez-Buylla Roces, the head of Mexicos National Council for Science and Technology, which oversees the CIDE and 25 other research centers, denied that the government was threatening academic freedom.

We have given historic support to universities to generate scientific investigation, she told The Times, pointing to a recent announcement that all students at its centers will receive free tuition.

Adn Morales Pedroza, 30, an alumnus of the CIDE, has accompanied students protesting for academic freedom.

(Leila Miller / Los Angeles Times)

The CIDE was founded in 1974 as a think tank to advise the government on economic policy. It quickly absorbed leftist intellectuals who had fled military dictatorships in South America. In the 1990s, a new director transformed it into one of the most prestigious research centers for social sciences in Mexico, requiring all professors to have doctorates.

In terms of education, its as good as Harvard, said Mauricio Tenorio, a historian at the University of Chicago.

Its professors are published in top academic journals and sought out as media experts in Mexico. Thats why even though CIDE is small with only about 500 undergrad and graduate students what happens there carries weight.

The former director, Sergio Lpez Aylln, who resigned last summer, said in a recent interview that the head of the science council had made it clear that she expected the directors of the research centers to be committed to Lpez Obradors agenda for Mexico.

I think the CIDE has a responsibility to do investigations that support the public policies of the government, he said. It has always done that, but with autonomy.

In November, an interim director, Jos Antonio Romero Tellaeche, an economist from the College of Mexico in Mexico City, made clear he shared many of the presidents views.

In a document outlining his plan for the school, Romero said that too many professors had gotten their doctorates abroad and that the CIDE had stopped prioritizing national social issues. And he suggested that the schools rigorous selection process reinforced the class divisions in the country.

In the days that followed, he demoted the CIDEs academic secretary, who claimed in an open letter that she was targeted for refusing to suspend teacher evaluations until a permanent director was in place.

That director turned out to be Romero.

The same day lvarez-Buylla appointed him, students began calling for his dismissal, and for the first time in the schools history, went on strike.

Romero declined to be interviewed, responding to a request by emailing a quotation from the U.S. linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky criticizing the mass media as a tool of corporate power.

lvarez-Buylla said that the CIDE favors a neoliberal vision and that theres opportunity to begin enriching it with other traditions and more critical thought.

She blamed groups like Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity, a civic organization that has been critical of the presidents administration, for using this process of the CIDE to deepen their adversity against the federal government.

As for the strike, she said the government intended to have a lot of patience to communicate with the student body.

We are not going to suppress, we are not going to try by force, nothing by force, everything through truth and law, she said.

The students are ready to wait.

At their base in front of the CIDE in Mexico City, the loud whoosh of highway traffic mixes with student chatter. Several tables have been pushed together under a tarp, where students work on their final exams and plan their next actions.

The occupiers take turns going on security rounds each night. At one point, they lost internet access. Professors and alumni have brought meals and moral support, one day commissioning mariachis to sing to the students.

Its been a fairly exhausting experience, said a student who declined to provide her name for fear of facing repercussions.

At least publicly, the students have focused their protest on Romero, arguing that his appointment had violated standard procedures and that he did not respect the school.

If he had spoken to the students, he would have known that many people supported his ideas because they believe in the fourth transformation, Cruz said, using the presidents term for his political agenda. He lost that support with his attacks against the community.

Sebastin Ocampo, a 22-year-old studying economics, said he thinks that students have tried to separate themselves from the ideological battle because its more complicated terrain and discussing it could create internal friction.

But alumni and professors are more blunt.

Its inevitable not to see this as isolated actions but as offensives against universities, against the scientific community, said Carlos Bravo Regidor, a journalism professor.

He rejected criticism that the institution has not invested in the countrys social issues, pointing out that graduates of his department have exposed corruption and that the schools drug policy program has gained national attention for investigating use of force by government security agencies.

Jean Meyer, a historian who has worked at the CIDE since the early 1990s, said the new director represents an inadmissible intervention of the government in academic life.

In a letter of support to students, five academics including two Nobel Prize laureates from the United States and another from France wrote that governments should facilitate but not control education and the production of high quality academia for political ends.

Both the students and the Science Ministry insist that they want dialogue but meetings have been repeatedly canceled.

On Monday, a small group of students gathered outside the Mora Institute research center, which they picked as a neutral meeting spot for negotiations.

A young woman spoke into a microphone, calling for the dismissal of Romero and declaring that CIDE is united in its cause.

More science, less obedience! the students chanted. lvarez-Buylla, science isnt yours!

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A battle over academic freedom at top university in Mexico - Los Angeles Times

In 1638, equipped with a letter of introduction to the ambassador in Paris, Milton left England for more than a year of European travel. Here Moshenska takes the opportunity to invent a dinner in Paris in which he seats the poet next to Sir Kenelm Digby, a polymath and contemporary of Miltons though there is no evidence the two ever met who was the subject of one of Moshenskas earlier books. The dinner is one of several fictional passages that replace close readings of supporting evidence from correspondence to household bills as to what kind of man Milton may have been, and serve only to make us feel that the book is not so much a distillation of research as a self-portrait of the don as creative writer. We do know that the trips subsequent Italian leg would furnish Milton with material for his later condemnation of Roman Catholicism, both in an unpublished theological work, De Doctrina Christiana, and in Paradise Regained, where Satan praises the pillars and roofs / Carved work, the hand of famed artificers of great and glorious Rome.

Milton married three times, and the three daughters of his first unhappy marriage survived into adulthood. It was this marriage to Mary Powell, a woman less than half his age who within weeks left him to return to her family (though she eventually rejoined him) that, as Moshenska notes, may have inspired his arguments in support of divorce, made in several pamphlets published between 1643 and 1645.

These were among a series of prose tracts he issued during this decade, arguing against the episcopacy and press censorship and in favor of Puritan, parliamentary principles. In 1642, the first of the three English civil wars had broken out, and as a result, in March 1649, following the execution of King Charles I, Milton was appointed secretary for foreign tongues. After he lost his sight, much of the job was executed by assistants. When Cromwell died, Milton was slow to relinquish the republican cause, continuing to publish tracts in its favor until the restoration of Charles II caused him to go briefly into hiding, and, also briefly, to prison dramatic interludes alas not covered in detail here.

For the last 14 years of his life, Milton lived quietly, working as a writer with amanuenses, including his apparently not always eager daughters. It was in this final, impoverished period that he produced not only textbooks (a Latin grammar, a history of Britain) but also the pair of Christian epic poems, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained (the latter was published together with the closet drama Samson Agonistes), that are central to his literary legacy.

Making Darkness Light chooses the ground it highlights, and comes alive in its alert close readings. However, Moshenskas use of fictional elements in his discussion of Miltons life is less effective. Surely the goal of more creative approaches to literary biography is to interpret facts and texts in new ways without eroding traditional standards of scholarship. Of course, it may be easier to flesh out actual occurrence without resorting to invention when dealing with more recent lives, for which greater detail, in the form of letters, journals, newspapers and other sources, survives. But literary biography should be based on a scrupulous, trustworthy close reading of evidence both literary and biographical.

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The Blind Poet Who Saw Visions of Religious and Political Freedom - The New York Times

The first thing you notice is the color. A brightly painted commercial airplane stands in sharp contrast to the utilitarian gray military cargo planes parked on your desert airbase. Illuminated by the flight line lights, it has a kind of glowing radiance. Youve seen this airplane come and go countless times since the beginning of the deployment but this time your name is on the manifest. It is your freedom bird.

The place youre leaving is so familiar it might as well be the only world youve ever known. It is the shop, the gym, the dining facility (DFAC), your bunk, the perimeter road you run four days a week, and endless miles of gravel crunching under your feet. Its a place of hard work and long hours, but also a place of growth where despite the sometimes monotonous nature of your work, you have built a better you.

Constantly watching a calendar has distorted your perception of time. The days have slogged by at a maddeningly slow pace, but you held on and this deployment, like the others before it, has found its way to an end. You pick up your gear and advance toward the towering envoy from the real world. At the top of the stairs you stop, take one last look out across the diesel-power illuminated moonscape, and say goodbye to the best parts and good riddance to the rest.

The flight crew thanks you for your service as they welcome you aboard. Their faces are different. Theyre not tired like yours. Their uniforms are neat and colorful. They are cheerful in a way you havent been in a long time, relaxed in a way not typical of a commercial flight crew. They are more real and thats something you appreciate.

Yours was a world of sand, smoke, and dirt. A civilization of plywood, canvas, and steel rising from the desert. The aircraft cabin is not that world. Well-worn and faded camouflage uniforms on tired bodies clash against the clean business class interior. You find a seat and note familiar commercial airplane sights and sounds. Youve thought about this moment every day for so long. It lives up to your expectations, just like it did the last time, and like it will again next year when you do it all again.

On the runway, the engines spin up to full power. The airplane shakes in place for a moment before launching into the wind. A pilot belts out Yeeeeehaaaa!!! over the intercom. Again, not your typical buttoned-down flight crew. Your airplane climbs and banks to the west. Through the window, the base shrinks in the distance. One day time will filter out your frustrations and youll miss that place, but you dont know that now. All you know is that none of what goes on there is your problem anymore.

There are a few stops along the way. Crisp winter air stings your face as you walk across the tarmac in Germany. You buy a beer and bratwurst from a little snack bar in the terminal and somehow theyre out of sauerkraut. Of all the places in the world, how does Germany run out of sauerkraut? In Ireland, youre stopped in a Duty-Free shop by a woman with a thick brogue accent who says, We appreciate what you all are doing for us over there. It is an unexpected but welcome sentiment.

Along the way the mood is light, conversations are easy and hopeful. You hear more laughter than you remember on the way over. With the heavy yoke of responsibility ceded to replacements, the redeploying travelers have nothing but the rest of their lives to look forward to.

The trip across the Atlantic is the longest leg, but the wait isnt a problem. American service members are well-conditioned for the wait. Eight more hours isnt even a full-duty day downrange. Between meals and movies, you drift in and out of sleep until at long last they announce that youve reached the eastern seaboard. The weary travelers applaud and before long the airplane begins to slow and descend. The flight crew hands out U.S. Customs forms. This is almost over. The airplane breaks through the clouds to reveal a kaleidoscope of color and motion. Trees, buildings, cars, and roads stretch out in all directions. Life is everywhere, right under your feet. In a few minutes, youll be on the ground, in the middle of all of it.

You step out of the jetway and into a world that is virtually spinning around you. The cacophony of light, action and sound is disorienting, a result of months of virtual sensory deprivation imposed upon you by the realities of deployed life. People are going everywhere, doing everything. You see families with children and realize you havent seen families with children since you left. You walk through the concourse in a state of simultaneous relief, wonder, and amusement. The convenience of modern western life, once hidden in plain sight, is now obvious and everywhere. The experience is flavored by the welcome smell of all American deep-fried, flame-broiled, oven-baked, sugar-iced, fresh-brewed, and carbonated everything.

As you move through the airport people approach and offer thanks for your service. A businessman tells you that his kids sleep safely at night because of the work youre doing over there. A woman, wide-eyed and on the verge of tears, stops to offer you an emotional thank you. The outpouring of gratitude feels unearned but you graciously accept.

The first stop in the states is rarely the last. It is wonderful to be back on American soil, but youre not home yet. Theres one more flight to catch. This one is domestic and short. On this flight, the pilot announces that there are heroes onboard. Your fellow passengers applaud. A business executive buys you a beer. You are nervous on this flight. Its a happy nervous though, anticipation on a grand scale.

Turbulence usually bothers you, but not this time. Just get it on the ground man, preferably right side up and not on fire. Before you know it youre taxiing toward the gate. You eye the terminal out the window. It feels almost impossible that your entire world is in that building waiting for you. Your heart races. Moments later youre off the airplane, moving fast through the concourse.

And then you see them.

The reason you went over there, the reason you saw it through, and more than anything, the reason you made it home. The world around your family disappears as you close the last few feet of what has been an incredible distance. Your little boy is done waiting though. He darts out under the rope and meets you with the hug hes been saving up since the day you left. This is the best day of your life. You scoop him up and head straight to his mother, the true unsung hero of this deployment. She is the one who, against the odds, held the whole crazy enterprise together for all these months. You can see relief through the tears in her eyes.

It is a grand spectacle, an exercise in delayed gratification of the highest order. You will never forget this day and your thoughts will drift back to it for the rest of your life. This is the incredible moment when, amid a flurry of signs, balloons, kisses, hugs, and tears you step out of the war and back into your life.

Welcome home.

Jonathan Lenz is a retired United States Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer who deployed multiple times in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

Editors note: A version of this article first appeared at Joker Romeo Lima.

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'Nothing but the rest of your life to look forward to' What it's like riding the 'Freedom Bird' out of combat - Task & Purpose

The Carnival Freedom arrived in Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, on Dec. 15, marking the lines first time back to the port since resuming service.

According to a press release, the 2,974-guest Freedom is on a six-day Eastern Caribbean cruise that departed PortMiami on Dec. 12, and featured ports include Half Moon Cay and Amber Cove.

We are delighted to bring the Carnival Freedom back to Grand Turk and to offer our guests the opportunity to experience all of this ports beauty once again, said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. On behalf of Carnival, I would like to thank the Turks and Caicos Islands government and all our partners on the ground in Grand Turk for working with us to make this opportunity possible.

By years end, Carnival will have 19 ships in operation as the lines restart of operations continues. All 22 of Carnivals U.S.-based ships will be back in guest operations by March 2022.

Continued here:

Carnival Freedom Makes Line's First Call to Grand Turk Since Resumption - Cruise Industry News

When kids grow up, parents need to give them some freedom to live their life as they want. It is an essential step of the parenting journey, which helps the kids to learn and grow. Giving your kids enough freedom helps them to become independent and differentiate between right and wrong. At the same time, you must impose some restrictions to protect them from taking any wrong decisions or going the wrong way. It brings us to the question of how much freedom you should exactly give your child. How much freedom should you give your teens?Giving an appropriate amount of freedom helps to prepare your kid for adolescence. While it is common for parents to get confused about the amount of freedom they should give to their kids, the answer varies from person to person. What is the age of your child, how mature he/she is, the amount of family support they have, what are their past experiences, how responsibly they act in a given situation and others. Many times kids are good at identifying genuine people or due to past traumas are not able to handle some specific situation well, in that case, they need their parent's constant guidance. Things you need to keep in mind when making a decisionThere are no set rules when it comes to giving freedom to your kids. You'll have to take several things into consideration before deciding the rules for your little ones. Here are some tips that may help make the right decision.Consider the age: Allow only those things which are appropriate as per the age of your child. If your kids are just 16 years old, do not allow them to stay late at night or drive a car without a license. Tell them to wait for a few more years to avail certain privileges.Set clear limits: When kids ask permission for something, before allowing them to set clear rules and consequences of overstepping the rule. It will help them act responsibly. When they go out, fix time to come back, and limit the time they spend with their friends. Also, lay clear rules about study time and other activities.Implement consequences for breaking rules: When your kid breaks any rule or limit make sure you take appropriate actions. If you do not act at this time, they will repeat the mistakes time and again. You can assign them additional tasks or limit their outdoor activities if required.Link their freedom with responsibilities: To make your kids more accountable, link their freedom with responsibilities. Give them household work to do, pay the bills and bring groceries. It will also help them make responsible choices.

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How much freedom should parents give to their teens? - Times of India

The problem with both reforms is that the evidence just doesnt stack up enough to justify the restrictions on liberty. The report by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) says the governments research was simply not good enough with regards to voter ID.

This is true. At the 2019 general election, there were just 33 allegations of impersonation out of 58 million votes cast. We should be encouraging voting and political participation, not building barriers for the 2% of citizens who have no form of ID (or the 4% whose only form of ID is not recognised under the proposals).

Meanwhile, the changes to the Electoral Commission the body responsible for regulating elections and political parties will make it accountable to the very parties it is meant to be policing. The worst-case scenario would see the commission being turned into an arm of the state.

The committee said: The government has not provided sufficient evidence to justify why the proposed measures are necessary and proportionate. As I have said before, the plans are akin to giving a toddler a gun. It might not go off instantly, it might even not go off at all, but it certainly isnt the best idea.

As a lecturer in corruption analysis, a general rule of thumb I teach my students is to never assume corruption when incompetence is more plausible. But recent scandals hint at more malign intentions at the heart of these reforms.

The Owen Paterson affair, the Downing Street refurb scandal, and the controversy over Christmas parties have seen Johnsons government mired in allegations of sleaze and wrongdoing. Consistent at the heart of this is a lack of interest in ethical standards and appropriate behaviour that are a feature of how Johnson likes to run government.

Is it any wonder, then, that he may show an interest in dismantling oversight mechanisms? But his own party seems happy to let these things slide.

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If Tory MPs want to protect freedom, why are they supporting the Elections Bill? - Open Democracy

Ronan Keating, 44, revealed to Keith Lemon, 47, on yesterday's episode of Celebrity Juice that he has had the "snip", after five children from two marriages. The revelation came when Keith quizzed the Boyzone star on the Christmas special, after he revealed he was "thinking about it" last time he was on the show.

Within five minutes of the ITV show, Keith quizzed Ronan on the subject.

Keith asked Ronan: "Last time you were on Celebrity Juice, we broke the news that youd been considering the snip.

"Can you confirm or not confirm that youve had it?"

A drumroll played, adding tension to the moment, with Ronan laughing.

READ MORE:Julia Bradbury inundated with replies as she posts update on cancer

The Irish singing legend then announced: "Well... I've had it, I've had it.

"I've had the snip! Freedom! Freedom!"

The George Michael hit Freedom 90 then played, with confirmation of the news jokingly flashing on the screen behind the star.

During the celebration, Ronan was cheering and thrusting his hips while wearing a Christmas onesie as the crowd lapped up the news.

Ronan shares three children from his first marriage to Yvonne Keating, with the pair being married for 17 years and splitting in 2015.

"He already had three children - Jack, Missy and Ali - so that, of course, was something to consider.

"I think in terms of the relationship between Ronan and me, there were lots of questions like these, and other things, too, to consider from the start - it wasn't like a standard relationship in that way."

Ronan has also discussed fatherhood when he appeared on the daytime chat show, Loose Women.

When discussing more additions to the family, the Boyzone star explained: "No, thats it. Weve got five wonderful, healthy children and Im really, truly blessed but I think thats it, weve got to call it a day."

Talking to OK! in February last year, Ronan admitted: "I was 22 when I had Jack a kid myself.

"It was very different because how you raise kids depends a lot on the mother and their preferences too.

"I have an amazing relationship with all my kids, but life is very different for me now.

"These days, when my older kids come over, I'm obsessed with cooking for them. I'm like an Irish mammy!"

Storm also joked in the interview about Ronan getting the snip, as she settled with a boy and a girl.

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'Freedom!' Ronan Keating, 44, admits having a vasectomy after having five children - Daily Express

Project Freedom recently joined with local officials as they broke ground on their second community in Hamilton Township Freedom Village at Hamilton Woods.

Project Freedoms new development, called Freedom Village at Hamilton Woods, will have 72 units and be located at Justice Samuel A. Alito Way & Whitehorse Mercerville Road. The location is situated near Hamiltons Public Library, Hamiltons Police Station and the Hamilton Area YMCA.

Attending the groundbreaking included Hamilton Township Mayor Jeff Martin, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th, County Executive Brian Hughes, Councilman Anthony Carabelli and Melanie R. Walter, executive director of New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency.

This truly has been a partnership from all levels of government working together with community organizations to make today possible from the federal, state, county and municipal levels, Martin said. On behalf of Hamilton, we again welcome Project Freedom to the town and we look forward to many years of continuing partnership.

Project Freedom, a non-profit organization founded in Hamilton by Executive Director Norman Smith, develops and operates barrier-free housing to enable individuals with disabilities to live independently. Supportive services such as recreation, training, and advocacy are also offered.

From the start, Project Freedom was supported by Hamilton resident and late State Sen. Franny McManimon and the late Mayor Jack Rafferty, who helped shed light on individuals with disabilities.

Freedom Village at Hamilton Woods is the twelfth development for the organization. This past October marked the 20th anniversary of the opening of Project Freedoms first Hamilton complex. The 48 apartments have provided the foundation for tenants to be employed, have families, and enjoy the Hamilton community.

Originally posted here:

Project Freedom breaks ground on second community in Hamilton - nj.com

On 13 August 1971, when my husband, Mansur Mujibur Rahman, was leaving for office, I did not think even for a fraction of a second that he would not come back.

He was a government officer of the Ministry of Land. During the Liberation War, he was not attending office very regularly, instead he went whenever needed.

However, that need was different. As he was a government officer, it was easier for him to get information regarding the Liberation War from the office.

He could easily get a hint of what the contemporary government was thinking or about their next move as a government employee. He often took this opportunity to help our freedom fighters.

Unfortunately, Razakar Riju Kabir discovered his involvement with freedom fighters. And thus, on 13 August, they were waiting for him in the office.

At home, I bid him goodbye like any other day, not knowing that was the very last time I would ever see him.

When he did not come back, I realised something ominous had happened. The following day, we heard that he was shot and thrown at Magura diversion channel. My brother went there instantly but his dead body was not in a state to be brought home for one last time.

His death broke me into pieces. I was so helpless, I did not know where to go with my young daughter and little children. I could not imagine the thought of the Pakistani army taking my children away from me. So, the very next day, to save our lives, I left Hajipara and went to Govindapur to my sister-in-law's house on the other side of Noboganga river.

Govindapur was a free area back then and I saw my husband's nephews and other young boys taking preparations to go fight in the war. That place gave me the strength to live again.

I wondered how those teenage boys were so willing to sacrifice their lives for our country. Or how their family was coping with the realities of war. I had lost my husband so I knew how it felt to lose somebody.

Looking at their faces, sometimes I used to get panic attacks. What if I have to send my son to the war too? How would I live then?

To this day, I cannot think straight when those memories get triggered.

But their deeds had also inspired us. Taking care of the freedom fighters became a responsibility to us. Though I was not actively participating in the Liberation War, I felt like I was also a part of it. Sometimes every day, sometimes once in a week, evening or midnight, they came whenever they needed support. We were like their shelter though they were the ones fighting to protect us.

That was a time when we all were prepared to help our freedom fighters. There were days when around 10 to 20 freedom fighters visited us at different times. Each time we cooked for them separately. It became routine that we would have some freedom fighters or informers as guests every day.

Sometimes, I stayed awake the whole night waiting for them but they did not come. When we were about to fall asleep, they would knock on our door. We never felt bothered. Instead, we were happy to see that our boys were safe and sound. We were relieved that they survived another day. I cannot articulate even half of my feelings now.

All I can say now is that it was an honour for me to assist them.

Sometimes, we would get requests from different places that a group of freedom fighters have reached and needed food. My sisters-in-law and I would happily cook for them. We cooked for countless days and nights. We don't even know how many freedom fighters we fed.

Four months went by like this. On 16 December morning, we heard on the radio that we are finally free. We no longer had to hide anymore; we could speak, go outside like before and breathe in the fresh air of our free country.

But at the time, this realisation came late. I was numb at that moment. I could only cry. I do not know why I cried. But then, I joined the celebration with our family because our boys also started coming back that night.

I missed my husband's presence in all these things. I knew if he were with us, he would have been so happy to see our freedom. I was pleased, but somewhere, something was missing.

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I cooked for the freedom fighters, it was an honour to assist them - The Business Standard

Woke indoctrination just ran into the power of freedom of choice. It wasnt pretty.

As the College Fix reports, Saint Josephs University, a Jesuit Catholic school in Pennsylvania, stopped ordering students to take a class on diversity. Enrollment plummeted.

Multiple sections of the universitys new one-credit diversity course, Inequality in American Society are at risk of getting canceled for the spring 2022 semester due to under enrollment, The Hawk, Saint Josephs campus paper, reported last week.

Professor Brian Yates, who championed the course, previously blamed some campus racial incidents on President Donald Trump. Whos he blaming for the sweeping rejection of the course?

Students in the current semester were expected to take the course. They no longer are, and many are just saying no to leftist programming.

Given the freedom to choose, at least some students are rejecting the Woke collective on college campuses.

Read more at the College Fix.

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All Woke Up: freedom beats the collective Woke Empower Wisconsin - Empower Wisconsin