Monthly Archives: March 2022

On February 10, just over a week before police finally moved in to evict the nearly monthlong occupation of downtown Ottawa, Manitoba MP Candice Bergen stood up in the House of Commons and asked protesters to go home. I am asking you to take down the blockades, said the interim leader of Canadas Conservative Party. Protest peacefully and legally, but its time to remove the barricades and the trucks for the sake of the economy and because its the right thing to do. While Bergen did take care to reiterate her partys opposition to vaccine mandates and continued COVID restrictions, the statement still marked a pronounced shift in the rhetoric of Canadas most powerful right-wing politicians many of whom had quite openly sought to align themselves with the self-described Freedom Convoy that had spent much of January entrenched in the nations capital.

Bergen herself had posed for photos with demonstrators, as had other Conservative MPs, including former party leader Andrew Scheer. Ontario premier Doug Ford, meanwhile, initially offered an effective endorsement, remarking on February 4, I understand their frustration. . . . If people want to come down and protest, God bless them. A week later, Ford would declare a provincewide state of emergency, brand the protests a siege, direct his attorney general to freeze access to millions in online donations made to the convoy, and make crystal clear (in his words) [that] it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people, and services along critical infrastructure.

In parsing the timeline of events, the cause of institutional conservatisms rather abrupt pivot is thus easily identified and deeply instructive. With key border crossings blocked, what conservative leaders had initially viewed as a venial sort of disruption suddenly became a different species altogether: namely, the kind that frightens markets and business interests and puts profits at risk.

While there are undoubtedly many lessons to be gleaned from recent events in Canada, theres a useful insight in this particular episode about the limits of so-called right-wing populism and the efforts of various conservative figures to rebrand their project as one aligned with the working class. That isnt, needless to say, because the likes of Bergen and Ford withdrew support for some kind of organic workers movement: boosted by large US media outlets, counting plenty of wealthy people among its donor base, and earning an endorsement from the worlds richest man, the Freedom Convoy was clearly nothing of the kind (even if it did attract some working-class support). The very sudden lurch of its leading figures, however, is nonetheless still a striking demonstration of conservatisms unyielding deference to markets and unfettered private enterprise.

Since 2016, an assortment of pundits and intellectuals throughout the Anglo-American world has sought to advance the broad idea of a newly pro-worker right. The new conservatism, we are told, will be more populist, more working-class, and, above all else, more willing to directly intervene in and regulate markets than its various post-Reaganite incarnations. As a rhetorical posture struck by right-wing politicians, some versions of it have in fact already appeared in the political mainstream.

Last fall, for example, Canadas since deposed Tory leader Erin OToole campaigned on a series of pro-worker slogans and promised increased worker representation on corporate boards. During his initial run for president, Donald Trump famously appeared to buck conservative economic orthodoxy by taking aim at the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In 2020, Marco Rubio, Jeff Sessions, and a number of other prominent Republican figures signed onto a statement heralding a conservative future for the American labor movement. Senator Josh Hawley, meanwhile, has called on the GOP to become a working-class party, not a Wall Street party (there are certainly other possible examples).

Theres no denying this style can sometimes be politically effective. The real question, however, is whether it actually signals a meaningful break from institutional right-wing politics as we have known them. In the case of Canadas Freedom Convoy at least, the answer is clearly a no. Any politician can adapt or co-opt the language of class if they find it useful. But a critical test of a populist, working-class politics comes in its willingness to meaningfully confront, disrupt, or otherwise challenge markets and capital: minimum wage increases are always opposed by business lobbies; unions and strikes antagonize bosses and shareholders; broad public goods and economic redistribution generally mean higher taxes on the wealthy and less private profit.

Given the ultimate aims of its blockades (and its conspicuous lack of attention to key labor issues facing the trucking industry) the convoy may not have represented an authentic working-class movement. Yet in turning against it so abruptly, conservative leaders indirectly revealed that the kind of populist agitation they find tolerable still has more to do with sloganeering and honking horns than running even momentarily afoul of corporations or business interests.

Original post:

Canada's Freedom Convoy Exposed the Sham of Pro-Worker Conservatism - Jacobin magazine

The Academic Freedom Alliance released a public letter to the University of Dayton calling on the university to reaffirm its own commitments to freedom of thought after an unfortunate administrative intervention into a scholarly conference organized by members of its faculty and held on the university campus.

The Human Rights Center at the University of Dayton organized a conference that was held on campus in December. Tlaleng Mofokeng was invited to be a keynote speaker to discuss the public health issues relating to the pandemic. Mofokeng is a Special Rapporteur with the United Nations. She is also a medical doctor in South Africa and has apparently performed abortions. The university leadership disinvited Mofokeng, stating that the Mofokeng's actions relating to abortion were contrary to the Catholic mission of the university and that her presence threatened to cause "negative reactions" that would "disrupt" the conference.

Although a religious institution, Dayton has in place a fairly robust academic freedom policy that simply replicates the standard American Association of University Professors principles. Given that commitment to faculty, the university's actions in intervening in an academic program and disinviting a speaker is a significant intrusion into academic freedom principles and undercuts the university's stated commitments.

The University of Dayton sent the Academic Freedom Alliance a letter similar in substance to the one posted at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which contended that the university remained committed to robust debate on campus but that Mofokeng's actions as a doctor made her unwelcome on a Catholic campus. Unfortunately, the university's response suggests that the administration feels free to intervene to overrule faculty decisions on how to construct academic events if such events are "highly visible" and "widely promoted." This is deeply at odds with how universities that commit themselves to traditional principles of academic freedom should behave.

If the University of Dayton prefers to maintain such an administrative veto over scholarly programming organized by its faculty, then it should say so plainly and revise its faculty handbook to clarify that its faculty will not, in fact, be entitled to the same robust form of academic freedom that professors might enjoy at other American universities.

Go here to read the rest:

Academic Freedom Alliance Letter on a Disinvitation at University of Dayton - Reason

Women love football. They love talking about football, watching it and playing it and all for very unique reasons.

To celebrate International Womens Day and the 2022 theme of #breakingthebias, The Athletic has asked women from different backgrounds why they love football and what it means to them.

Let us know why you play in the comments below

Beth Mead Arsenal and England international

We joke around a lot in the team because we run around a lot after a bag of air. We literally run around after a bag of air and we get so much enjoyment out of it.

There are a lot of things in football that make you love it. We love being in a team environment and the social side of things.

But when Im on a football pitch all my worries in the world just disappear and I just enjoy doing what I do. Im very lucky to be in the position that I am and Ive worked hard to be there. I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I play football for my job and get to be there every day. Its mostly the enjoyment of being able to play football and being worry-free.

Samantha Miller former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham player, content creator, presenter and co-commentator

Football is a passion that Ive turned into a career. When I was younger I would play in the garden and use the shed to practise curling free kicks, leaving the door open in the corner and challenging myself to get the ball through the gap. My mum wasnt best pleased when I broke items in the shed and the plant pots in the garden.

There werent many opportunities growing up so I would take a ball to the park and find people to play against. Id be out for hours, playing with a massive smile on my face. I got the chance to play in tournaments abroad where I would make friends around the world who shared the same love for the game.

Link:

Freedom, the team, the buzz: Why I play football - The Athletic

Local thrift store Freedom Boutique sells gently worn womens clothing and various gifts to support DIVAS Who Win Freedom Center, an Athens-based nonprofit. The nonprofits mission is to support women who are overcoming addiction, prostitution and sexual exploitation, while also tackling the stigma surrounding these topics.

The Freedom Center, located on Hawthorne Avenue, serves over 150 women each month by providing them with basic needs such as free lunches, laundry services and peer support. The services are provided free of charge, so the nonprofit relies on donations and profits from the Freedom Boutique to keep supporting the women they serve.

Chanda Santana, the nonprofits founder and executive director, said the profits from the boutique primarily support a workforce development program called She Works.

The Freedom Boutique opened in April 2021 to raise funds, bolster awareness and support sustainable living. Doubling as an education center, the shop provides statistics about sexual abuse, trafficking and child labor in the fast fashion industry.

Signs hang on the wall of local thrift store Freedom Boutique. The signs provide information on sex trafficking and the environmental impact of fast fashion. (Photo/Alex Ciardiello)

In the boutique are various donated clothing pieces, shoes, purses and jewelry, alongside items from companies with similar missions as DIVAS Who Win. One of the companies is Thistle Farms.

Santana discovered Thistle Farms, a nonprofit based in Nashville, Tennessee, dedicated to helping women recover and heal from prostitution, trafficking and addiction by providing a safe place to live, a meaningful job and lifelong support, and decided to become a part of its sister network. She was inspired by Thistle Farms' safe house because this is one of DIVAS Who Wins long-term goals.

DIVAS Who Wins safe house is still in the planning process but will be called the Freedom House. It plans to give women somewhere to call home while theyre healing and Santana hopes to raise the funds needed for it in the next two years.

The Freedom Boutique has a vital role in the success of the Freedom House.

The goal of the boutique is that when the Freedom House is established, and women get through phase one of the program then we will have a thriving thrift store that they can come work at. The boutique isnt bringing in enough funding right now to employ more than one survivor 30 hours a week, Santana said.

A pink DIVAS Who Win sign is encased in greenery inside the Freedom Boutique. Located on Hawthorne Avenue, proceeds made from the boutique benefit the nonprofit organization. (Photo/Alex Ciardiello)

The nonprofit mostly operates on a volunteer workforce, but there arent many volunteers who work at the boutique. Out of those volunteering, some are students from the University of Georgia like Jacqueline Adam, an intern working toward a master of social work at UGA.

Adams works at the boutique once a week and does a number of tasks for the nonprofit including writing grants, creating surveys and developing annual reports. Adams met Santana in 2017 when she was writing a dissertation on LGBTQ people of color who have been sex-trafficked in the Southeast.

Santana introduced Adams to people she later interviewed. Since then, Adams has been engaging with and volunteering for DIVAS Who Win but started working for the organization last year.

They know that folks who have experienced substance use and sex trafficking are also likely to experience incarceration, discrimination or sex-based violence. I love that they approach it in this intersectional way, Adams said.

Adams wants more people to shop at Freedom Boutique so that the organization can keep providing services for women who need them.

If you are having privilege or you do have a little bit of extra money, come shop at the boutique, Adams said.

See the rest here:

Freedom Boutique and DIVAS Who Win work toward mutual mission - Red and Black

The Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion held a YouTube live on Monday at 6 p.m. called Freedom of Expression: A Brave Space Dialogue.

The dialogue discussed how the first amendment relates to students, faculty and staff and what to do when being targeted by someones right to free speech as a response to the protestors who have been coming to campus to spread their message.

Sandra Jones, the VSU director of Student Diversity and Inclusion, and Justin Arrington, the Interim Chief of Legal Affairs officer for VSU, spoke at the dialogue.

Jones wanted to remind students that this isnt a new thing for VSUs campus. Over the past two years, COVID-19 has kept people away, but now people are starting to show up again. Since then, the student body has changed and arent used to this expression of free speech.

Even people who arent associated with the campus can come and voice their opinions, within certain guidelines and parameters.

Any time you start to restrict something; it has a boomerang effect, Jones said in response to the students wanting to restrict the speech of the people coming to campus.

She said that if you stop something that you dont like, it could end up stopping something that you do. If someone doesnt have the same beliefs as you on a topic, then you could end up being the one restricted.

Arrington went over what is protected in the first amendment and pointed out that speech that can be considered hate is included. He reminded viewers that instead of this being a bad thing we can use it to incite conversation between our peers.

This dialogue allowed students to ask questions to Jones and Arrington about how they could assist and make conversations when these protests happen again on campus.

In response, the speakers assured that students should keep up with conversation beyond the day of the protests and that it doesnt end after the speakers leave.

Questions can be emailed diversity@valdosta.edu or brought to the Shannon Center on the third floor of the Student Union.

For the complete discussion, the video is still available to be viewed on VSUs YouTube channel.

Written by Angel Davis, staff reporter. Graphic courtesy of VSU.

Originally posted here:

Freedom of Expression: A Brave Space Dialogue - The Spectator - V Spectator

OPINION:

Well, its happening again. Are we even surprised at this point? Not even a full year after abandoning millions of women and girls and religious minorities to the tender mercies of the Taliban, the capital of another American ally is on the verge of falling to an enemy who wants to destroy our way of life.

In the 77 years since the end of the Second World War, democracy and free markets have again and again proven to be the best systems for both human happiness and national success. Yet many in our society have become so ashamed of themselves that they cannot even enunciate these universal values.

The price of our weakness is the same as it would be on the schoolyard or the prison yard: Aggression. Thugs and bullies who only understand the language of physical strength take advantage of those who appear weaker or, worse, have a high-minded belief that such things dont even matter until a fist comes crashing into their face.

Its different on the international stage, though, because innocent people will be trampled underfoot if we dont defend our fundamental values. In fact, the bulk of the work of defending freedom today is being done not by international institutions, nor even by the United States, but by just three small nations that arent even part of our official alliance structure - Ukraine in Europe, Taiwan in Asia, and Israel see in the Middle East.

Lets start with Ukraine, where this weeks Russian invasion proved what many of us have long feared. The bear has not been defanged, and Putin has a more consistent belief in destroying the democratic world order than most Westerners have in defending it. Losing Europes second-largest country by land area, with its forty-million pro-American citizens and the best arable farmland in Europe, would be a massive material loss to our side and a proportionate gain to Putins. Moreover, Russia probably doesnt plan to stop with Ukraine, but to gobble up the other post-Soviet neutral states as well.

However, this goes far beyond the post-Soviet space - whats at stake is the post-World War II order, which has depended on American hegemony and control of the sea lanes (just as the British-led order before it did). Russia is playing its old role of spoiler, seeking to turn our freedom-loving allies into provinces and buffer states of a revived Soviet Union (recalling a favorite maxim of George F. Kennan, the architect of containment, that Russia can only border two kinds of states - enemies or vassals).

Russias quasi-ally Iran is playing the same role in the Middle East, attempting to form an empire based on hostility to the Great Satan, the United States, and its perceived proxy in the region - the besieged State of Israel. Similarly, China announces nearly every day its desire to destroy the tiny island nation of Taiwan - and to seize the island of Okinawa and the 1 million Japanese citizens who live there while theyre at it.

If weakness invites attack, strength brings peace via deterrence. What can we in the West do now? We can give as much support - material, moral, personal - as possible to the bravest of our allies, the Ukrainians, the Israelis, and the Taiwanese. The fight forced on them is our fight - for the right to live in freedom and peace. Lets be ready to defend it.

Read the original post:

Weakness breeds aggression: It's time to stand up for freedom - Washington Times

The ban on imports of Russian oil, natural gas and coal announced today has made each and every one of us a party to the fight for freedom in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian people are making the ultimate sacrifice on the front lines. Its time to recognize that we are part of that battle, whether we like it or not. That means beginning to budget for higher prices and to plan for the sacrifices that we may be called on to make. We must be clear-eyed about the challenges: Rising commodity prices could result in stagflation like the 1970s. While painful, we survived those conditions 50 years ago, and we have the resilience to persevere again in the name of liberty.

The world changed Feb. 24, when Russian troops, driven by Vladimir Putins delusional plans to reassemble the former Soviet Union, crossed into Ukraine in complete disregard for the pain and suffering inflicted upon its citizens. And it brought us to this Cold War 2.0 in a tripolar world.

The major antagonist Russia is the worlds third largest oil producer and the second largest natural gas producer. We are also vulnerable because Russia is also one of the largest producers of palladium - a key input for catalytic converters in cars and Russia and Ukraine together produce almost a quarter of the worlds wheat.

So todays move will hurt Russia and shows our willingness to sacrifice, and I applaud it. But its not enough.

The world has begun to sort itself just as it did after World War II. The United States and its European allies, together with other democracies around the world, have lined up against Russia and its goal of extending its sphere of influence. Which means our European allies must also join in the import ban. Germanys block of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was a good start, but more is needed.

Make no mistake: Itll be harder for them. And this will hurt Russia.

Russia sent about 90 percent of its exported natural gas to Europe and Eurasia in 2020. It satisfies about one third of U.K. and EU gas demand, according to the International Energy Agency .

While Germany and other consumers of Russian energy will feel real short-term pain, the long-term benefits of a more secure supply chain will be enormous. Sanctions will hasten the European Unions diversification away from Russian energy supplies. Clearly, Germany should delay the closure of its remaining six nuclear reactors, part of its flawed green energy strategy.

The move will hurt American consumers for sure, but its our way of joining the fight. We imported only 400,000 barrels per day of oil in December, down from 760,000 barrels as recently as July, according to government data . That represents just 2 percent of our oil demand, an amount easily made up when the inevitable price increase causes demand to drop and supplies to rise. Relative to the Ukrainians sacrifices, it is a smaller ask of us.

Our energy industry is already pitching in. Producers have increased drilling somewhat. We must encourage, not discourage, our domestic industry to boost output easing what has become a hostile regulatory environment so that they can send those supplies to Europe.

After Pearl Harbor, our Greatest Generation engaged in World War II both militarily and through a reordering of our domestic economy. Not only did enlistments skyrocket, but whole industries retooled. Civilians who couldnt fight helped in other ways. It was war, and the war involved everyone.

Some might find comparisons to WWII farfetched, but Putins latest act of aggression and his stated intent to continue expansion represent one of the greatest threats to world security since that war ended. The time to stay on the sidelines is over. We have an enormous stake in the outcome of this aggression.

Today, we dont know if this cold war will escalate into a hot war where NATO armies, led by Americans, confront Russian troops. We certainly dont want that, but make no mistake, the fight has already begun. We need to be ready to contribute to support freedom, however we can.

And we cant for a second forget that there is a third pole in this cold war. China is hellbent on extending its sphere of influence, too. Just as Putin took chunks of territory in Crimea with insufficient condemnation from the rest of the world in 2014, China has claimed and begun to militarize a plethora of small islands in the South China Sea whose sovereignty was in dispute.

China is watching the Russian situation closely, given that it views Taiwan in much the same way that Putin views Ukraine rightful territory for the taking. Consequently, its not surprising that China has expressed ambivalence toward the Ukrainian invasion and is remaining noncommittal despite the horrific destruction that is being inflicted upon an innocent country.

How we play the crisis from here will have far-reaching consequences. It can set precedents to either encourage or discourage further upsetting the world order.

The one thing we should not do in attempting to ease energy prices is sacrifice our principles by rushing to appease Irans terrorist theocracy just to get their oil back into the market. We should do a deal with Iran that has teeth, and, if thats not possible, terminate discussions. Our recent outreach to the Venezuelan tyrant is equally unprincipled and shortsighted. Also, from an environmental perspective, it is nonsensical to favor Venezuelan and Iranian production when their drilling practices are not nearly as conscientious as our own.

The sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports send the message that Russia has crossed the Rubicon toward isolation. Coupled with the economic sanctions already enacted, this should signal to average Russians that their deranged leader is taking them down a dead-end road.

The sooner we all recognize that its time to gird for battle, the clearer our strategy becomes.

Given the Ukrainians sacrifices, its the least we can do.

Kenneth Hersh is president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and co-founder of NGP Energy Capital Management.

Read the original:

Opinion: Gird for battle at the gas pump to support freedom - Houston Chronicle

When the world was busy fighting the pandemic, women were also protesting in the streets and on social media for their right to express themselves through their clothes.

Noureen, 25, from Kochi in India, knows only too well how policies that dictate what a woman can or cannot wear can impact their life and self-esteem. She graduated from a university in Karnataka, in southern India, where some institutions have denied hijab-wearing students access to the school, claiming it violates dress code. The move triggered several protests in the country.

Noureen describes the situation and increasing discrimination against Muslims as unjustifiable. The hijab is my faith and the closeness it makes me feel with my creator is what motivates me to wear it, she says.

I wear [the hijab] because I feel like it sort of protects me. Its who I am, its a part of me now

Almas, student

To fight back, a group of Muslim students filed a petition saying these rules violate their rights under Indias secular constitution.

Almas was one of those students. In her second year at Government Pre-University College for Girls, Udupi, she says the meaning of hijab is to cover. "Its usually that girls wear it to preserve their beauty, so not everybody gets to see it.

Its a security to some women. I wear it because I feel like it sort of protects me. Its who I am, its a part of me now.

Hiba Sheikh, 22, from Mangalore, feels the same way. The hijab is like a shield to us.

Its not something thats forced upon these women, says Almas. I chose to wear it. No one can force you to wear something.

Women across the world are fighting for their right to wear the hijab how and when they want. Kilarov Zaneit / Unsplash

Fathima Usman, 20, also from Mangalore, echoes this sentiment. None of the parents, family, force them to wear it. Some Muslim students wear it while some others do not. It is an individual choice and no one can interfere in their private life.

Women like Fathima, Hiba and Almas grew up seeing their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers don the hijab. Its part of a generational handover that makes the act of wearing the headscarf special.

Id see my mum, Id see my sisters wearing it, the older women in my community wearing it, and I wanted to be a part of that, Almas says. I wanted to be a part of something.

They are trying to break us down and not give us education, says Fathima, referring to conflicting dress codes across India that allow women of other faiths to wear their traditional garments, but not Muslims.

It is not the issue of the hijab but their mindset.

Elsewhere, in Afghanistan, women are experiencing the opposite, where theyre being forced to cover up. Under Taliban rule in the late 1990s and 2000s, the long blue burqa and chadari were mandatory for women. While they have insisted this will not be the case again, a number of mandates, such as banning girls from higher education, have been cause for alarm, and women have taken to the streets to speak out for their freedom of choice.

Maryam, a journalist in Kabul, is one of those women, but she, rather than having her voice heard, has ended up in hiding.

Maryam wears the hijab, but strongly believes how you wear it should be a choice.

In Islam, the hijab doesnt have a colour and shape, she says. For me, as it says protect yourself, I will follow those rules when I feel unsafe and uncomfortable.

In every society, it is a problem, women are asked to not wear this or that, go there or not

Hiba

How Maryam dresses may change depending on how safe she feels in her surrounding environment. For example, when I was in Dubai I was wearing jeans, a top and my headscarf, as you might have seen a lot of Muslims following the same practice.

Her choice to wear the hijab and speak out for like-minded women, however, never wanes. If you think something is not right, stand up against it.

Now, she says, since the Taliban took over her home country, we have to fight even for our most basic rights, like going to school, working, and leaving the house".

We as Afghan women cant believe how dramatically things changed for us overnight.

Until last year, Afghanistan was a country of poetry and art, one that embraced the youth and their vision of the future, says Aqele, 17, a student. In the cinemas, in the cafes, in shopping malls, the youth cohabited in a very positive environment. They would play guitar, men and women would discuss poetry and politics.

All of the progress made in the past two decades was effectively destroyed in the matter of two weeks, she says.

I do have hope that women and our allies will fight for us.

Many of those allies are in Europe and America, but even in some western countries women are also losing their freedom to express themselves through clothes.

In France, for example, the government has tried to ban women who wear the hijab from participating in sports tournaments for reasons of "secularism and neutrality.

I think bodily autonomy is just one of those rights that we will have to learn to fight for because no one should tell us how to dress

Almas

In every society, it is a problem, women are asked to not wear this or that, go there or not, says Hiba. But we have the freedom and we are not supposed to obey them. It is our life and we can do anything.

Instead, across the world, women are still being judged by the clothes they wear. Norms and rules that categorise women should be done away with, says Almas.

Maryam says now, more than ever, its important for women all kinds of women, and not just those who wear hijab to stand up for our rights.

We need to support each other and if we back each other, we can achieve it.

"I think bodily autonomy is just one of those rights that we will have to learn to fight for because no one should tell us how to dress," says Aisha Ali, digital journalist in Pakistan. "And it doesn't really matter what country we are in. I don't think anyone would ever tell a man what to wear and how to dress."

Updated: March 08, 2022, 11:45 AM

More here:

The fight for the hijab: Muslim women lament their lack of freedom to choose - The National

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. & KARLSRUHE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Freedom Photonics and Vanguard Automation announce the deployment of Vanguard Automations SONATA and REPRISE 1000 systems at Freedom Photonicss facilities in Santa Barbara, CA. The two systems combined construct a fully automated photonic integration and packaging solution built upon 3D nano-print technology, and enable the fabrication of low loss optical subsystem interconnects commonly known as Photonic Wire Bonds (PWBs). Freedom Photonics added Photonic Wire Bonding to its 21,000 square foot facility in Santa Barbara, where Freedom manufactures a wide range of photonic devices, including lasers, photodiodes, and photonic integrated circuits (PICs). PWB technology adds a significant capability in optical subassembly manufacturing. Freedom will also offer PWBs as a manufacturing service.

Vanguard Automation augments 3D nano-print technology to create solutions for photonic packaging. The technology uses a 2-photon lithography process which creates waveguide optical interconnects between two components (PWBs), or fabricates facet attached micro-lenses (FAML) to couple light. In the case of PWBs, a cladding material adds an indexed filler which ensures single mode operation and protection against moisture and mechanical forces. In order to execute these processes in an automated manner in manufacturing, Vanguard Automation has developed two systems, the vanguard SONATA and the vanguard REPRISE. The SONATA is a lithography unit responsible for structuring the PWBs and FAMLs, whereas the REPRISE manages all pre- and post-processing steps including dispensing, removal of an unexposed resin, cleansing, and encapsulation of the bonds. Vanguard Automation also offers comprehensive process control and management software, including its software suite for design and fabrication of PWBs and FAMLs.

We are extremely excited to bring Vanguard Automation technology in-house, said Dr. Milan Mashanovitch, Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Photonics. PWB will be a fundamental packaging technology for next generation highly integrated photonic subassemblies offering not only compact form factors but also low optical loss.

We are pleased to be working with Freedom Photonics to enable photonic packaging and integration solutions, said Thorsten Mayer, CEO of Vanguard Automation. Freedom Photonics engineering capabilities and manufacturing infrastructure make it an ideal partner for prototyping and lower-volume manufacturing.

Statement about Freedom Photonics

Freedom Photonics is a Santa Barbara, California based manufacturer of unique and innovative photonic components, modules, and subsystems. Our best-in-class diode laser, photodetector, and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) products are enabling revolutionary performance in optical sensing and communication markets. Our core competency is bringing photonics products from concept to volume production.

Email: info@freedomphotonics.com, WEB: freedomphotonics.com

Statement about Vanguard Automation

Vanguard Automation (VA), headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, develops process technology and software-defined manufacturing equipment for photonic packaging and assembly. Building on advanced nano-printing technology, VA solutions complement planar photonic integrated circuits (PIC) with 3D freeform structures such as Photonic Wire Bonds and Micro-Optical Lenses. This technology is key to building chiplet-based photonic systems, offering high packaging density and increased design flexibility, while being amenable to automated high-volume fabrication.

E-mail: info@vanguard-automation.com, WEB: vanguard-automation.com

Go here to see the original:

Freedom Photonics and Vanguard Automation Deploy 3D Nano Printed Chip-Scale Interconnect Manufacturing Capability - Business Wire

Im a Russian. Vladimir Putin is committing monstrous crimes in the name of my people, my country, and me. Putin is not Russia. Russia is hurt and ashamed. In the name of my Russia and my people I beg the Ukrainians forgiveness. Yet I realise that nothing being done there can be forgiven.

This war did not begin just now but in 2014, with Putins seizure of Crimea. The western world refused to understand the gravity of this and pretended nothing terrible was going on. All these years Ive been trying in my statements and publications to explain to people just who Putin is. It hasnt worked. And now Putin himself has explained it to everyone.

Whenever one of my articles is published in the press in Switzerland, where I live, the editors receive letters of outrage from people at the Russian embassy in Berne. Theyre silent now. Maybe theyre packing their bags and applying for political asylum?

I want to return to Russia. But which Russia? In Putins Russia its impossible to breathe. The stench from the policemans boot is too strong. I will return to my country. As I wrote in an open letter when I refused to represent Putins Russia at an international event back in 2013, before Crimea was annexed: I want to and will represent another Russia, my Russia, free of impostors, a country with a state structure that defends not the right to corruption but the rights of the individual, a country with free media, free elections, and free people.

The space for free expression in Russia was restricted to the internet long ago, but now even there we see military censorship. The authorities have announced that all critical statements regarding Russia and its war will be considered treason and punished according to martial law.

What can a writer do? The only thing he can: speak out clearly. Silence means support for the aggressor. In the 19th century, rebellious Poles fought Russian tsarism for your freedom and ours. Now the Ukrainians are fighting Putins army for their freedom and ours. They are defending not only their own human dignity but the dignity of all humanity. We must help in every way we can.

The regimes crime is also that the stain of disgrace has fallen on the entire country. Now Russia is associated not with Russian literature and music but with children under bombardment. Putins crime is that he has poisoned people with hate. Putin will go away, but the pain and hate may linger in peoples souls for a long time. Only art, literature, and culture can help overcome this trauma.

Sooner or later, the dictators foul, useless life will end, but culture continues as it always has and as it will after Putin. Literature does not have to be about Putin. Literature does not have to explain war. War cant be explained. Why do people order soldiers of one nation to kill those of another? Literature is what opposes war. True literature is always about the human beings need for love, not hate.

What lies ahead? At best, there will not be a nuclear war. I fervently hope the madman will not be allowed to press the red button or that one of his flunkies will refuse to carry out this final order. But this is seemingly the sole good thing in the offing. After Putin, the Russian Federation will cease to exist on the map as a country. The process of the empires collapse will continue. Chechnyas independence will be followed by that of other peoples and regions.

A struggle for power will ensue. The populace will have no wish to live in chaos, and the demand for a firm hand will strengthen once again. Even in the freest elections if there are any a new dictator may come to power. And the west will support him because he will promise to watch over the red button. And who knows? One day this may happen all over again.

Mikhail Shishkin is a novelist, and the only author to have won the Russian Booker Prize, the Russian National Bestseller, and Big Book Prize

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My dear Russians the Ukrainians are fighting Putins army for their freedom, and ours - The Guardian