#malaysia business group

[m980]

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#malaysia business group #export-oriented food and beverage #export growth #succession #cocuntmilk

[prismmediawire]

Evergreen Group unveils new corporate haven in M’sia with HWG partnership

KUALA LUMPUR, November 7, 2023 - Evergreen Group Holdings and Holistic Wealth Group (HWG) have joined forces to transform the financial industry landscape in Malaysia.

From left: Desmond Sim (COO Evergreen Group Holdings), David Yong (CEO Evergreen Group Holdings), Dato Chua (CEO and Co-founder, HWG), Kathryn Khoo (Co-founder, HWG), Elsie Loo (Co-founder, HWG) at the event

The financial entity known for its Fund Management and Financial Institution Licenses in various Asian regions has for the first time opened its corporate office in Pisteuo’s UpTown Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

HWG is currently leading an amazing journey of growth and transformation, with a clear goal of becoming the top-notch provider of wealth management services. This partnership of the pioneer business will surely shed light on the future of the clients, making their lives more fulfilling.

Evergreen Group Holdings: A leading financial entity with a vision for positive impact

David Yong, Evergreen Group Holdings CEO who is also a Well-known Singaporean K-pop artiste said: “We are committed to long-term commitment and positive impact.”

He added that Evergreen Group Holdings aims to transform the financial industry landscape through strategic partnerships, comprehensive financial advisory, and socially responsible initiatives.

Yong said, “The milestone will be celebrated alongside the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HWG, a leading wealth management company. Furthermore, we embrace the latest advancements in the financial industry to provide the best possible service.”

Moving forward, he added that their dedication to excellence and innovation will continue to set new benchmarks in wealth management and positively impact the financial well-being of their clients.

“This venture will contribute to the improvement of the financial landscape and enable the provision of comprehensive financial advisory to individuals, businesses, and institutions.”

A historic partnership – equal emphasis on Evergreen and HWG

This partnership is not just about collaboration; it’s about creating a financial ecosystem that addresses the diverse financial needs of the region.

In addition to the partnership announcement, HWG will also celebrate a significant milestone for its subsidiary company Maxima, which operates under the HWG umbrella.

Maxima CEO Jenson Lim said: “We have achieved noteworthy success in obtaining the BNM approved financial advisory and crafting a top-tier, industry-disruptive strategy that will propel its financial advisers into exponential growth.

“Evergreen Group Holdings is dedicated to making a positive impact on society and we are proud to announce our collaboration with government bodies to provide crucial financial backing to affordable housing schemes,” he added.

He said the MoU signing ceremony will mark a historic moment in the wealth management industry as Evergreen Group Holdings and HWG take a monumental step towards the community.

“Together, Evergreen Group Holdings and HWG are underway to offer more cross border financial product solution which will be a valuable asset,” he added.

Yong said the partnership with HWG promises to enhance the capabilities of both organisations and expand the range of financial products and services they can offer.

These initiatives further demonstrate the commitment of this joint venture to meet the diverse financial needs of the region.

HWG: A collaborative force with a client centric approach

As a trendy collaborator with a touch of pizzazz – HWG, a prominent wealth management company join forces to offer a variety of financial advisory to individuals, businesses and institutions.

Its CEO, Datuk Chua Meng Min said: “With a focus on client centricity, HWG prioritises the needs and desires of all stakeholders in providing innovative financial solutions and driving growth within the industry.

“The key to achieving this mission lies in our commitment to nurturing and empowering the most talented individuals in the wealth management field. Their expertise and unwavering dedication ensure that our clients’ financial aspirations are realised,” he remarked.

Chua said the company takes great pride in offering a wide range of innovative and diversified portfolio solutions, perfectly tailored to meet each individual’s unique needs.

The partnership with HWG promises to enhance the capabilities of both organisations and expand the range of financial products and services they can offer, Yong said.

Recognising that housing plays a vital role in maintaining stable communities and enhancing the quality of life, Yong and Evergreen Group COO Desmond Sim said the partnership aims to facilitate access to safe and affordable housing for as many individuals and families as possible.

“This collaboration reflects their vision for long-term commitment and positive social impact,” the initiators said.

Contact name: Jolene Low 

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Evergreen Group Holdings

#press release #prism mediawire #prismdigitalmedia #prismmarketview #assetmanagement #malaysia #Evergreen Group Holdings #Holistic Wealth Group #business news #news #world news

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#topmetric #topmetricgroup #consultingservices #iso #iso9001 #nigeria #kenya #uganda #qatar #saudiarabia #jordan #kuwait #malaysia #singapore #businessgrowth #isoconsultant #quality #business

#TopMetric #TopMetric Group #iso #iso consulting #iso consultancy #nigeria #jordan #saudi arabia #uganda #kenya #kuwait #singapore #malaysia #quality #business growth #business

[sayruq]

KFC has reduced its operations in Malaysia, shuttering more than 100 restaurants temporarily after months of a persistent pro-Palestine boycott of US-linked businesses triggered by the ongoing war in Gaza. QSR Brands, which owns and operates the KFC fast-food franchise in Malaysia, is suspending operations of 108 outlets nationwide, the Nanyang Siang Pau Chinese-language daily said, based on information from Google Maps. The maps show which KFC stores have had their status updated to show “temporarily closed”.

“KFC is not on the BDS list of targeted companies. But many Malaysians see any American fast-food operator to be related to Israel including KFC,” said Professor Mohd Nazari Ismail, chairman of pro-Palestinian group Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Malaysia.

KFC and a few other US-based brands such as Starbucks and McDonald’s have been facing boycotts because of their perceived link to Israel since the war in Gaza started on Oct 7, 2023. KL-listed Berjaya Food, which owns 400 Starbucks stores in Malaysia, reported a net loss of RM42.6 million from October to December 2023, with owner Vincent Tan reportedly considering taking the company private.

#yemen #jerusalem #tel aviv #current events #palestine #free palestine #gaza #free gaza #news on gaza #palestine news #news update #war news #war on gaza #malaysia #boycott divest sanction #boycott israel #boycott kfc #bds movement

[bizarrequazar]

08-27 Zhang Sanjian/Scam Gang Recent Events Space

This was a Twitter space held to review recent events with the scam gang and Zhang Sanjian, as well as to address topic about fandom culture and likely reasons why Zhang Zhehan’s case is taking longer than many would hope. Notes are organized by topic, then by order presented in the space. [Recording]

KL concert and review of the Bangkok concerts

Another Zhang Sanjian concert is going to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on September 17th. The previous concerts were held in Bangkok on May 10th and 11th.

Things seem to be operating fairly similarly as with the Bangkok concerts, though whalers are not rushing to buy tickets the way they were last time.

Tickets went on sale yesterday (08-26); ticket release seems to be similar, ie. not all tickets—including VVIP and the front few rows—are currently available. With the Bangkok concert, these held back tickets were partially due to the tour packages they were selling. I (the note taker) am not aware at this time of any similar tour packages with the KL concert, and none was mentioned in the space.

Quite a few of these held tickets for the Bangkok concerts were only released generally a week in advance. Part of this was because Xie Yihua had been working with scalpers who were trying (with little success) to sell them at roughly twice the original price. Flora and MB talked to one scalper separately who offered them both the exact same ticket for the Bangkok concerts that was being sold by another scalper, and blatantly lied about his own location.

Chinese citizens are able to get a travel visa at the airport when traveling to Bangkok, meaning that the short notice (announcement less than one month prior to the date) was less of an issue. The same is not true for Malaysia, visas have to be obtained in advance and tend to take a couple weeks.

The VVIP tickets included a backstage meet and greet after the show. With these, fans were not allowed to take photos themselves but were sent the photos by Zhang Sanjian’s team. These photos took weeks to arrive (likely due to the amount of editing done to the photos) and were quite low quality. 

Zhang Sanjian was quite physical with fans during these meet and greets, with photos including his arm around their waists and fans reporting hugging him. This is completely inconsistent with Zhang Zhehan’s behaviour—the only time he would ever initiate contact was with children (and some fans would specifically bring his children for that reason lol.)

The tour group for the Bangkok concerts had not been in operations for quite a while prior but suddenly came back, did not seem to have any proper registration, and was run by someone with a gambling addiction who had had a number of complaints against him about him and his company scamming people, as well as employees reporting not being paid. Whalers who went on the tours admitted to being afraid to talk about it because of the amount of personal information they had given, but some who spoke said that they were not picked up from the airport and were taken to a place very out the way. Some of these whalers returned early (implied to be by their own choice.) 

A direct business partner of CAPA is the producer for both the KL and Bangkok concerts. If, hypothetically, Zhang Zhehan caved and agreed to work with CAPA, why would they be doing these international concerts rather than rescinding their blacklist against him so he could work in China where it would be much more profitable?

Before the Bangkok concert, a number of bought articles in oversees publications were published, always saying that Zhang Zhehan had gone to the shrine without any clarifications about those allegations being false. This is the exact opposite of what any logical PR would do. The information for these articles and the similar radio blurbs given with the fake songs have been provided directly by Zhang Sanjian’s team.

Paid PR articles can be 100% made up. Sheena talked about a friend of hers who was hired to do a PR piece for a member of BlackPink and wrote the entire thing, questions and answers, herself, with the manager only reviewing it before publication.

Whalers have repeatedly reposted the various articles about Zhang Sanjian, blatantly blurring out the lines repeating the slander about Yasukuni and/or omitting it completely from their translations.

(A reminder to seek out information and confirmation yourself. Keep in mind that it is very easy for your own views to be manipulated by translators if you do not speak/read Chinese.)

The venue for the Bangkok concert was designed for conventions, not concerts, ie. there was no raised seating. It wouldn’t be surprising if this was done specifically so that people further back would only be able to see the screens rather than Zhang Sanjian himself.

Ticket prices for the concerts are ridiculously expensive, more than you would pay for even many A-list artists. One Malaysian tabloid paper ran an article talking about how expensive the tickets are, again including mention of Yasukuni with no clarifications. Comments underneath the Facebook post for it were filled with passersby questioning why someone they had never heard of was charging so much.

Money laundering

The article Flora translated on money laundering in c-ent

Basic economics: prices are set based on supply and demand. 

Whoever is putting on the Zhang Sanjian concert clearly works in the industry, yet is charging enormously inflated prices. This makes no sense if the goal is actually to sell a large amount of tickets. 

The main idea behind laundering is that you create opportunities to falsify and inflate sales records. The Bangkok concerts were clearly not sold out despite claiming to be.

The production for the concerts is not high: these are small cheap venues, there are no opening acts, etc. Another part of laundering is to claim that production costs were higher than they really were.

When your goal is money laundering, it doesn’t matter if you actually make money or not. Your aim is only to create records for the movement of money, preferably as large an amount as possible.

Thailand and Malaysia have looser regulations for moving money than China.

Changing currency is another way to make it easier to falsify records, as is the case if you are holding concerts internationally. 

This is very serious. Corruption of high enough financial levels can receive a death sentence in China, and it’s not uncommon for whistleblowers of money laundering to be murdered. This is another potential reason for Zhang Zhehan to not speak out against the scam.

[my post of collected info about the Bangkok concerts]

The Chens

The Chen family in particular are really not smart about how they’ve been doing their sketchy business, given that they’ve been opening dozens of companies in their own names and the names of their relatives. 

Flora suspects that the shell companies are more likely for tax evasion than money laundering. Their product releases have been tracked to see which company is responsible for each, and every clothing release is under a different one. This is likely to avoid hitting a higher tax bracket, and is literally the most obvious form of tax evasion.

The tea shop has been fined for other things (ex. unsafe food production, false advertising, etc.). These are pressing safety issues, unlike tax evasion.

It’s quite likely that the government IS aware of the Chens’ activity but that they aren’t a big enough concern yet. The longer someone is allowed to get away with something, the more bold they become, which is apparent in the Chens’ behaviour. Letting them get away with it now means that the authorities should be able to book them on heavier charges later.

To reiterate for the millionth time: Zhang Zhehan’s name is not on any of the paperwork for any of the Chens’ companies. The HZ Baobao brand is owned by Chen Ahyi’s boyfriend’s son and his wife, how is it there is any realistic connection there with Zhang Zhehan?

The main motive for the Chens’ involvement with the scam seems to be the money they are able to leech off of fans.

C-Ent politics

The unfortunate reality is that CAPA is very powerful in c-ent. For the people whose livelihoods depend on being in the industry, they have little choice but to cooperate. Xiao Chu, the screenwriter for Word of Honor, is likely an example of this—notice that she has not had any more projects despite the popularity of Word of Honor.

It’s important to remember that c-ent is a very different environment than what westerners might be used to. Keep in mind that, while we are international fans, we are in a Chinese fandom and need to try to understand how the significance of own behaviour might differ from in western fandoms. 

Artists in c-ent have little independence and control over their careers, that power is held much more heavily by the companies holding their contracts. 

Fandom is also VERY manipulated by capital. Planted fans are extremely prevalent for the purpose of increasing sales and traffic. Fan culture and endorsements are much more for important—a celebrity’s success hinges heavily on how they do in endorsements, not just their own projects. 

Toxicity in fandom often is created and/or manipulated by a celebrity’s own company for the sake of increasing traffic. The celebrity might or might not be aware/involved in this—Gong Jun’s studio has done this.

Buying fans (ie. plants) or otherwise artificially inflating traffic (ex. water armies) is extremely common in order to create the appearance of popularity. Nearly every current big whaler has been found to be a plant, and some of the real big whalers were intentionally driven away early on, likely because the scam wanted to make sure they could control the fandom.

If you see a “big fan” loudly saying they’re leaving a fandom, often they were a hired fan and their contract is almost up. With Zhang Zhehan “fans”, notice that there is an uptick in these sorts of posts around August. 

Virginia and Yajing

Virginia worked for Pulin, Zhao Wei’s company. When Zhang Zhehan worked for them, she seems to have sometimes accompanied him. She closely follows the Zhang Sanjian accounts and it is known that she’s involved in the scam.

When Zhang Zhehan lost access to his Instagram account for a while, Virginia was the one he thanked after getting it back (2020). It’s not known exactly what she did. The phone number the account is registered under is not Zhang Zhehan’s. The account was created for him while he was working under Yu Zheng, so it’s suspected that Virginia put him in contact with the person in possession of that phone number. The phone number was not changed.

Yajing is a livestream host who did a number of livestreams with Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun after Word of Honor’s success. She’s quite popular for having a non-threatening motherly vibe, and a fair bit of candy came from her livestreams with them.

In July 2022, Yajing posted a photo of herself wearing the EHz.Z slippers, then deleted it shortly afterwards because she lost a huge amount of followers. She has not said anything else related to this since. At the time people questioned if she posted it in ignorance, however, it is now known that she and Virginia follow each other online and have worked together multiple times in the past, including with stage productions funded by CAPA.

This again comes back to the topic of how powerful CAPA is. It might not be that Yajing and many of these other people have any malicious intent or ill will towards Zhang Zhehan personally, but they’re in a position where if they don’t stay in line with what CAPA wants, they could lose their entire careers. How many people would be willing to do that for someone they only worked with a few times? That doesn’t excuse their actions of course, but it does explain them.

Legal matters

People involved in legal cases (including jury) are advised to maintain Internet silence. This gained more public awareness recently due to a case of a woman whose daughter was killed oversees trying to seek justice, who was advised not to speak despite being slandered heavily by the accused. Kris Wu’s victims are another example of this. Speaking online easily complicates your case, sways public opinion, and muddies the story that you want to tell in court.

A major aspect of defamation cases are what the damages of the defamation were. Zhang Sanjian’s activities are a way of trying to sway public opinion into thinking he sustained less damage than he really did. 

With that being said, have faith in the Chinese legal system—as stated above, the online culture is very extreme, but the courts are aware of this. As well, Chinese people culturally place a lot less significance on what happens outside of China (ie. the concerts and aforementioned articles.)

It’s important to keep in mind everything that has been discussed above about how corrupt c-ent is and how many different things are at play in the background. While on the surface Zhang Zhehan’s case seems like it should be open and shut, there are a lot more factors at play that complicate and prolong the legal process. What Zhang Zhehan is doing is extremely brave given the circumstances, and it’s obvious that he has not caved despite indications of them giving him opportunities to do so.

Misc.

A CPF was able to train AI within a day to change her voice—feminine and with a Northern Chinese accent—to Zhang Zhehan’s in real time, with the only significant noticeable difference being some of the Northern speech habits.

Ranyi Music was created in June 2021, before 813. One of the shareholders is one of the Chen Ahyis. She recently created a subsidiary company where Zhang Mama is listed as one of the executives. When creating a subsidiary, everything can be done remotely electronically, so likely all they would have needed to do was fake her signature. It is also known that they have a copy of Zhang Mama’s ID (as well as Zhang Zhehan’s and possibly Xiao Yu’s. This would be because the Chens were helping with things such as travel bookings prior to 813.)

The various online accounts of Ranyi Music were accounts repurposed from ones previously run by other companies (ex. the Weibo was for a company run by Xie Yihua’s brother.) Just because a social media company says it’s related to Ranyi doesn’t mean it’s actually registered to them.

Zhao Wei (Zhang Zhehan’s former boss)’s Instagram recently updated for the first time in a while. Flora et al. do not have enough information to speculate about this at this time; there is not currently reason to believe she’s involved in the scam. Some background: Zhao Wei’s husband is well known to be part of the Chinese mafia, and she has a number of connections to many other very wealthy people in China. Both she and her husband have been in legal trouble in the past, including at one point shortly after 813. 

It’s hilariously obvious that the scam has been regretting trying to cut out CPFs via the divorce video (22-05-04): there was recently a fan group created for JunJian shippers, the Instagram post that used the 😺🐶 emojis, the concert video that showed Zhang Sanjian interacting with someone in an orange hat, etc. They’re very obviously trying harder to appeal to CPFs, likely because they’ve squeezed solo whalers dry.

Xie Yihua recently posted some photos from Tibet when she supposedly was traveling there with Zhang Sanjian and captioned it “Find Our Voice.” She quickly took it down because of how much whalers came after her for it, ie. they don’t like her “trying to leech attention off him” because they refuse to acknowledge that he’s a fake character created by her.

Whalers proudly talk about how they don’t go back and look at Zhang Zhehan’s old material anymore because of Zhang Sanjian’s narrative of “wanting to forget the past,” seemingly with no awareness of how obvious it is that that’s a ploy to make them not see how different Zhang Sanjian is from Zhang Zhehan.

Candy to lighten the mood

A reminder that during the Friendship Institute interview, Gong Jun said that he thought Zhang Zhehan had a cat, and Zhang Zhehan corrected him by saying “I also have a dog.” (Timestamped in the link.) Fans were confused about this because Zhang Zhehan is not known to have a cat. It has been found out that Zhang Zhehan used to foster stray cats. Specifically, it was discovered that he once took in a stray kitten that he posted pictures of in his WeChat friends circle, which is presumably what Gong Jun was referring to. Supposedly, this is the same kitten that Don’t Want to Be Anonymous posted pictures of. (Below, thank you to Harry for sharing these with me.) Given that some people in the scam gang were in Zhang Zhehan’s friend circle, this is not evidence supporting Anon—only that Anon at the least was someone who had access to his circle. 

On the topic of Anon, it’s been noticed that Gong Jun has been posting scenery photos much more often since that account was shut down. Anon’s IP also always stayed consistent with Gong Jun’s location.

It’s worth noting that in the time that it was active, Anon never posted anything harmful, ie. unless it comes back and does something, there’s no harm in believing in it (with a grain of salt.) ❤️

Harry, Coya, and Zell are organizing a fandom event for the Mid-Autumn Festival! Stay tuned for more info! Harry has also recently been running a group for Russian Zhang Zhehan solo fans, please check it out if you’re interested. :D

[masterlist of my posts about zzh]

#Zhang Zhehan #Gong Jun #Word of Honor #woh cast #zzh info

[argumate]

so yeah I referred to the Japanese right wing protests and the Chinese anti-Japan protests as dickheads with flags, but it would have been kinder to describe them as two groups who have sadly fallen prey to the initial grift of nationalism ("that a country is a being that has some kind of fundamental character or natural tendency").

starting with the Japanese right wing as they're more obviously assholes, they've hitched their personal identity and sense of self worth to Japan Being Strong, which is dumb and stupid given that they should be well aware of what happened the last time people did that and the awful cost it had for them and all of their neighbours.

so they talk up the military and downplay previous atrocities and make everyone very angry in the process, and point to that anger as a justification for their militarism, and it's all very annoying.

but if you wanted to make things awkward you'd say hang on, Japan may have wreaked havoc across Asia back in the 1930s and '40s, capturing French Indochina and British Malaya, but what was France doing in Indochina in the first place? and why were the British in Malaya??

you quickly realise that the European powers have been busy carving off juicy chunks of Asia this whole time, but now Japan wants to get in on the game oh no they're the bad guys, time to firebomb Tokyo, while Churchill and De Gaulle are the heroes of WWII.

now of course the solution here is to recognise that the European powers were assholes too rather than giving Japan a free pass, but most people say okay there was an Age of Colonisation yes and it was bad yes and Japan got in late yes but that's just how it goes, and anyway it was all over by 1945, so you can't do it again.

...except the French took Vietnam back after the war and then fought against the Vietnamese independence movement for ten more years, after which the US joined in to kill another million people or so and the war didn't end until 1975.

well that's really awkward! as is the British suppression of Malaysia over the decades following WWII, with the concentration camps and massacres and you know, war crimes and stuff.

so at this point if you were a Japanese right wing asshole you would be thinking that actually invading other countries and establishing colonies is absolutely fine as long you don't get defeated by a rival superpower that will inflict victor's justice on you and hang your generals for perpetrating atrocities while their own generals get to perpetrate atrocities with complete impunity.

meanwhile if you were an aggrieved Chinese nationalist you'd be thinking sheesh, these Japanese dogs are inherently terrible people with a racial history of violence and aggression and we always need to be vigilant against their future military expansionism based on the atrocities they have committed in the past.

and that sounds, you know, slightly more sympathetic? arguably more defensive in character, anyway, but it's still wrong!

the main reason that it's wrong is because if you start from the nationalist viewpoint then Japanese atrocities against China simply loom larger in the imagination than Chinese atrocities against China, not the least because the former are commemorated annually while the latter are not talked about in polite company.

after the last Japanese soldier was kicked out of China there was still a civil war on! cities under siege! terrible casualties! almost as many civilians died of starvation in the siege of Changchun in 1948 as were massacred by the Japanese in Nanjing in 1937, but since history is written by the winners and injuries between nations are the only ones that count the former is a censored footnote while the latter still makes people mad today.

nationalism uses people, it's for suckers, it begets atrocities and it excuses atrocities and it remembers atrocities only to justify fresh atrocities.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Harnessing the potential of pineapple stem starch film as a biodegradable packaging material

A group of researchers from universities in Thailand and Malaysia have collaborated to develop a unique film that is good for the environment and can decompose naturally. They made this film using leftover pineapple stems, which helps reduce the use of harmful plastic films. This new film has the potential to be used as packaging material, contributing to a more sustainable way of doing business and promoting a circular economy.

In the study published in Membranes, Associate Professor Taweechai Amornsakchai from Mahidol University, Thailand led his team of researchers to successfully developed a biodegradable starch film derived from pineapple stem waste, offering a sustainable alternative to non-biodegradable petroleum-based films commonly used for single-use applications that do not require high strength. The key ingredient utilized in this film is high amylose starch extracted from pineapple stems, which serves as the matrix for the material. To enhance its ductility and flexibility, glycerol and citric acid were incorporated as additives.

Maintaining a fixed glycerol content of 25%, the researchers experimented with varying levels of citric acid, ranging from 0% to 15% by weight of starch. This approach allowed for the preparation of films with a wide spectrum of mechanical properties, catering to diverse application requirements. As the concentration of citric acid increased, the resulting film exhibited a softer and weaker nature while demonstrating enhanced elongation at the point of fracture. The mechanical properties of the films spanned a broad range, from a strength of approximately 21.5 MPa with 2.9% elongation, to a strength of about 6.8 MPa with 35.7% elongation.

Read more.

#Materials Science #Science #Biomaterials #Packaging #Plants #Pineapples #Starch #Biodegradable #Materials Characterization

[fiercynn]

In childhood we had learned about our history from my grandfather, Salim. I recall how my brothers and I used to sit in a circle by candlelight at night, listening to his stories. Our tragedy – the Nakba – began in May 1945, he told us, while he was harvesting his olive trees. Zionist terror gangs had begun forcing our families out of their homes, killing men, women, and children, and prompting others to flee. Those who stayed witnessed the foundations being laid for the discriminatory policies we see today. My grandfather urged us never to stop sharing these stories of Palestine. Over the past two years, during lunch breaks at my university in Malaysia, where students from all over the world study, my classmates and I have often engaged in discussions about everything from culture and religion to politics. These are precious opportunities to share my grandfather’s stories and my own perspective on the Palestinian situation. In all these discussions, I passionately defend our right to defend ourselves from aggression and to challenge the occupation of our land. [x]

essay by basma almaza at we are not numbers.

Basma Almaza holds a diploma from UNRWA and is currently pursuing a degree in business administration in Malaysia. She is an exchange alumni from AMIDEAST and EUROPE 101 leadership programs, which fueled her commitment to personal and professional growth.

She aspires to a professional position that bridges the realms of international relations and educational exchange management, with a particular focus on research papers. “I firmly believe that writing plays a pivotal role in both fields,” Basma says. “It is how we express our feelings, and it is also the medium through which diverse groups and nations can foster mutual understanding.”

Basma adds, “Writing serves as my primary tool to inspire and connect with people; I am a firm believer in the transformative power of words.

#basma almaza #we are not numbers #free palestine #genocide

[balteren]

{henry golding, 37, cismale, he/him} We are so glad to see you safe, FINANCIAL ADVISOR MIZN LEONG OF JAPAN (MALAYSIA)! It’s dangerous out in the world these days, but I hear that you are DILLIGENT and LEVEL-HEADED enough to handle it. Just don’t let your UNEMOTIONAL NATURE bring you down! Stay on your guard, because with your secret being at risk for exposure, you wouldn’t want everyone to find out YOU HAD A CHILD OUT OF WEDLOCK WHEN YOU WERE 18, AND THEY ARE BLACKMAILING YOU TO LEGITIMIZE THEM.

Name: mizn leong Aliases: N/A Country: Japan, originally from Malaysia Gender/Pronouns: cismale, he/him Sexual/Romantic Orientation: bisexual, biromantic Age: 37 Occupation: financial advisor to japan, also owns a fur trading company Faceclaim: henry golding Inspiration: mr. darcy (pride and prejudice), anthony bridgerton (bridgerton), the onceler (the lorax) (he’s making thneeds out of the furs lowkey)  Loyalties: japan, malaysia Pets: a chestnut mustang named farallon

tldr; mizn is a stupidly wealthy businessman who has a stoic, solemn presence about him. he has a bad case of resting bitch face, which has served him well in business, but deeply hindered him socially. when he was a child, many of the other kids thought he was rude, snobby, and generally unpleasant. in reality, he was just quiet, reserved, and deeply shy. as an adult, he overcame a good deal of his shyness, but retained the almost untouchable air he carried around with him. he is an avid explorer and outdoorsman, who loves fishing, hunting, swimming, gardening, and pretty much any outdoor activity.

backstory: Mizn was born to a distant father and an uninterested mother in the Johor region of Malaysia, the eldest legitimate son of a prominent businessman. They were not nobility, but their wealth allowed them to move in spaces that were not normally accessible to common people. He had multiple older brothers, and an older sister, but they were spread throughout the world, all in places where his father often did business. As an only child, Mizn was quiet, preferring to keep to himself, but he kept his time outside of his lessons busy with music. He was incredibly gifted on the violin, but his true talent lied in the pianoforte. As he grew, his talents grew with him, and he was composing his own pieces by the time he was thirteen.  In his teenage years, his father began to push him away from music, and closer to business. Mizn went along with his father’s wishes, planning to placate his father until he was old enough to leave home and audition for a place in a proper music school. His father would never hear of it, of course, but Mizn was certain he could change his father’s mind with enough practice. Surely, after enough time, he would prove that his talents shouldn’t be wasted.  Time passed, and his father finally caved into his wishes. He was eighteen, finally out on his own in society, and would be attending a music school in Germany. It was likely his father’s acceptance was a double edged sword- allowing Mizn to follow his dream, but also setting him conveniently close to German royal family. For years, the German King and Mizn’s father had been plotting, and unbeknownst to him, they had arranged a betrothal between him and the princess.  It didn’t matter much, in the end. Soon after his arrival to Germany, Mizn was drunk with freedom, and spent a great deal of his time outside of class drinking, causing mischief, and sleeping around. He raked his way across the landscape, but had a particular fondness for a German opera singer, keeping her near and going to her bed often. When she discovered she was pregnant, he immediately wrote to his father and informed him of his intention to marry her. He was a rake, but he was still a gentleman, and he was unwilling to let her fall into ruin.  Almost immediately, he was unenrolled from his university and forcibly sent home to Malaysia, where his father informed him that he would be joining a group of Russian fur traders on the west coast of North America while his father “cleaned his mess.” Mizn wouldn’t discover what that meant until much, much later.  He left with the traders, and soon discovered a mountain of untapped potential. When he returned home a year later, he set a proposed business plan in front of  his father. It involved temporary settlements set up along the coast, further south than the Russians, shifting and changing every year to allow the environments to recover. When he put his plan into action, it was immediately profitable.  For the last sixteen years, Mizn has been spending the majority of his time in North America, working and operating the operation from the source. He’d occasionally make it back across the Pacific, but only when he had business that had to be taken care of in person. Within a few years, he had turned his family’s (already substantial) fortune into an empire. As he grew older, and more importantly, after his father passed away, he began to dream about moving home and settling down, finally enjoying the fruits of his labor.  When war between Japan and China broke out, Mizn sailed back to Asia immediately. Japan was a powerful ally to his business, as his business relied heavily on their ports. He arrived on the coast of Japan, immediately offering financial aid for the war, and ultimately being offered the position of financial advisor to the Emperor. 

now: 

Mizn is enjoying his time as advisor, especially now that Japan has won the war. It’s far more comfortable than the rugged life he lived in America, even if it tends to be a little less exciting on a day-to-day basis. It feels good to be doing something helpful, even if that means sacrificing the rugged lifestyle of his youth. Besides- he was getting older, and he was itching to find a wife, start a family, and start to settle in one place. 

There was a definite roadblock in the way of his dream life: his betrothal to the German princess. Mizn was certain that the betrothal would be broken eventually, especially after multiple deaths rocked the family. Besides- the two had never gotten along, and any interactions went….. poorly. Learning that the princess- who was now Queen- was still intent on the marriage came as a shock. 

The marriage, however unpleasant it seemed, would solve his newest, most pressing problem. The child he had fathered had recently turned eighteen, and had reached out to him. He gave Mizn a choice: legitimize him and take him in as a son, or he destroy his reputation. As it turned out, Mizn’s father “cleaned up his mess” by arranging for the woman to be falsely imprisoned, and the child sent to an orphanage. Thinking he had solved the problem, his father gave it no mind. In reality, the woman found her son immediately upon her release, nearly five years later. Now, his son is nearly an adult, and has records of everything. Somehow, the woman obtained documents damning both him and his late father, and he would be ruined if it were released. For the time being, Mizn is placating his son by sending a monthly envelope of money, but that won’t keep him quiet forever. Marrying the German Queen would protect his business, his money, and his reputation, and producing legitimate heirs would give his son far less leverage over him.

The future is deeply uncertain for Mizn, but he knows he’s capable of coming out on the other side even stronger than before. He’s done it before, and he’ll do it again, even if it means marrying the Queen of Germany. 

#theopulent.intro #mizn #absolutely bananas too long

[m980]

#malaysia business group #export-oriented food and beverage #cocuntexport

[kngshuen]

Is Social Media Useful in Spreading Information on COVID-19 in Malaysia?

In the current digital era, social media has become an integral part of our lives, connecting us to our family, friends, and the world. In addition to sharing photos, social media has played a significant role in disseminating information about crucial issues, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Let's explore how social media helps spread virus-related information and its impact on digital communities.

The Power of Social Media for COVID-19 Information

1. Rapid Dissemination of Information

During the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased social media activity in Malaysia played a crucial role. Malaysians were well-connected digitally, as they spent an average of 2 hours and 47 minutes daily on social media, surpassing the global average by a significant margin. This participation was primarily motivated by the need to obtain information (76.2%) and keep up with news and events (65.8%). Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp were the primary sources for vital updates, news, and recommendations. This ongoing flow of information helps increase the awareness and preparedness of the digital community (Howe, 2023).

2. Real-time Updates

The Malaysian government provided up-to-date COVID-19 information via e-government and social media. They relied on channels such as the Ministry of Health's Official Portal, specialised Facebook pages (such as CRPC and KKM), and the CPRC KKM channel on Telegram. The Director-General of Health's daily press briefings are not only broadcast live on television but also live online via Facebook. In April 2020, they released the MySejahtera mobile app to assist users in monitoring their health and reporting check-in locations, allowing for prompt responses to control the spread of the virus (Dawi et al., 2021).

3. Community Support

During these difficult times, social media has been essential in helping Malaysians feel more connected to one another, with many Facebook groups and online communities offering information and support. For example, neighbours used platforms such as Nextdoor to offer assistance to those in need, and digital communities united in unprecedented ways to share resources and aid one another (FMT Media Sdn Bhd, 2020). Moreover,  #benderaputih groups were formed on Facebook to share addresses for assistance and information on local food banks, with Malaysians in need flying white flags outside their residences to indicate distress. The digital community, including neighbours, personalities, and businesses, responded by donating food and other necessities, demonstrating the power of social media to bring communities together in times of crisis (BBC News, 2021).

4. Countering Misinformation

By actively utilizing social media, the Malaysian Ministry of Health (KKM) has taken significant measures to combat COVID-19 misinformation. Through their official social media channels, KKM provides accurate and up-to-date information, dispels misconceptions, and addresses concerns, ensuring that the public receives trustworthy information and is better equipped to make informed decisions during the pandemic. In addition, KKM has released information about the repercussions of disseminating false information. This proactive approach not only helps counter Misinformation but also fosters a sense of trust in official sources, which is crucial during a public health crisis (Euronews, 2020).

The Dark Side of Social Media in COVID-19 Information Spread

1. Misinformation and Rumors

In Malaysia, as in many other countries, social media has served as a breeding ground for Misinformation and rumors about COVID-19. Facebook and WhatsApp have been used to spread false information about the virus's origins, prevention, and treatment options. This has led to public confusion and, in some cases, hazardous behavior, such as disregarding medical advice. False information can undermine the efforts of health authorities and exacerbate the pandemic's effects, causing unnecessary alarm (Balakrishnan et al., 2021).

2. Amplification of Fear

Despite its many advantages, social media can be a double-edged instrument, particularly during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. One of its negative characteristics is its potential to amplify fear and anxiety. Sensationalized headlines and the dissemination of misleading images can elicit strong emotions, resulting in increased stress and negative effects on mental health. The internet has been rife with misleading information about the virus, including conspiracy theories and misleading statistics. There have been instances where images fraudulently purporting to depict the coronavirus under a microscope have caused panic and confusion. Such false information can be extensively disseminated on social media platforms like Facebook, inciting panic and undermining accurate comprehension (Euronews, 2020).

Conclusion

In conclusion, social media has proven to be a powerful tool in spreading information about COVID-19 in Malaysia. During the pandemic, it rapidly disseminated vital information and connected people, nurturing community and support. The government's use of social media channels contributed to disseminating timely information to the public. However, this has a negative aspect: disseminating false information and terror. Misinformation and sensationalized content have led to public perplexity and hysteria. To maximize the benefits of social media, we must use it responsibly and ensure that accurate information prevails, particularly during the pandemic. Connecting and informing us, social media can be a force for good, but it is up to each of us to ensure that it serves our best interests.

What's your opinion on the role of social media in spreading COVID-19 information in Malaysia? Share your thoughts and vote below.

Reference list

Balakrishnan, V., Ng, K. S., & Rahim, H. A. (2021). To share or not to share – The underlying motives of sharing fake news amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Technology in Society, 66, 101676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101676

BBC News. (2021). Malaysians in Covid lockdown fly white flags to ask for help. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57717214

Dawi, N. M., Namazi, H., Hwang, H. J., Ismail, S., Marešová, P., & Krejcar, O. (2021). Attitude toward protective behavior engagement during COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia: the role of e-government and social media. Frontiers in Public Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.609716

Euronews. (2020, January 30). Coronavirus: Malaysia arrests five for spreading misinformation online | #TheCube. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2020/01/29/coronavirus-malaysia-arrests-five-for-spreading-misinformation-online-thecube

FMT Media Sdn Bhd. (2020). Nextdoor: Free network connecting neighbours in quarantine. Freemalaysiatoday. https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2020/03/29/nextdoor-free-network-connecting-neighbours-in-quarantine/

Howe, S. (2023). Social Media statistics for Malaysia [Updated 2023]. Meltwater. https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/social-media-statistics-malaysia

#mda 20009 #week 7 #social media #covid19 malaysia #public health #digital communities #malaysia #stayinformed

[viviangohcn]

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is the process of using social media, the internet, and smartphone apps to gather work, information, or views from a huge number of individuals (Pratt & Gonsalves, 2023).

Crowdsourcing is predicated on the assumption that a heterogeneous and dispersed group might produce novel concepts, insightful observations, and solutions that might not be achievable through conventional channels. Through the utilization of crowdsourcing, both individuals and organizations can access an extensive range of resources, expertise, and viewpoints.

3 Examples of Crowdsourcing Campaigns in Malaysia

Tabung Harapan Malaysia (Malaysia Hope Fund)

The Malaysian government started the Tabung Harapan Malaysia (Malaysia Hope Fund) campaign in 2018 to solicit public donations in an effort to lower the nation's debt. Support for the campaign was tremendous, with money coming in from Malaysians all around the nation and even outside (Chan, 2018).

Projek57

Source: https://youtu.be/UabNP7QaaU4?si=N0JExhlzK2PB92IA

Malaysia's Projek57 is a social business with the mission of fostering nationalism and unity. They started a crowdsourcing initiative to collect designs, ideas, and narratives in order to produce a product that is exclusively Malaysian. People responded quite well to the campaign, sharing their experiences and submitting their drawings, which were turned into a variety of items (Projek, 2023).

Citizen Engagement

The government of Malaysia has aggressively started a number of initiatives to crowdsource ideas and solutions from its citizens. Numerous regional organizations have taken the lead and started crowdsourcing projects (Zahari, 2016).

How is crowdsourcing used by communities during disasters?

Gathering information: Information on the disaster, including its location and extent of damage, the number of people impacted, and the resources required to respond to it, can be gathered through crowdsourcing (Crowdsourcing - PrepareCenter, 2023).

Mapping: Maps of the disaster region made via crowdsourcing can be used to assist responders in planning their actions and identifying places that require assistance (Tavra et al., 2021).

Resource allocation: Resources like food, water, and medical supplies can be found and distributed to the communities that need them the most using crowdsourcing (Crowdsourcing - PrepareCenter, 2023).

Volunteer coordination: Organizing volunteers who wish to assist with the disaster response effort can be done using crowdsourcing. Volunteers can be paired with projects based on their availability and skill set (Crowdsourcing Toolkit for Emergency Management - Integrating Crowdsourcing, n.d.).

Situational awareness: Real-time updates on the catastrophe situation, such as the whereabouts of emergency responders, the condition of vital infrastructure, and the requirements of impacted communities, can be obtained through crowdsourcing (Crowdsourcing - PrepareCenter, 2023).

Can crowdfunding build a community for creatives?

YES, crowdsourcing may help creatives form communities. Independent artists and small groups can use crowdfunding, a popular new internet fundraising method, to reach a much wider audience. In addition to being a helpful tool for marketing, crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter, IndieGogo, and GoFundMe may be used to earn money for artistic endeavors (Crowdfunding Arts Projects, 2017). For artists, crowdfunding may be a useful and somewhat easy method of directly raising funds and building a more intimate relationship with their fans (WomenArts, n.d.).

Here are some examples of how crowdsourcing may foster a creative community:

Engaging with supporters

Through crowdfunding, artists may interact more personally with their followers. Contributors, no matter how tiny, feel invested in the project and are more inclined to tell their own networks about it (WomenArts, n.d.).

Building an audience

Creatives can use crowdfunding to expand their audience for their work. A successful campaign can inspire interest in the undertaking and draw in new followers and backers (Crowdfunding for Artists, n.d.).

Networking

Creatives can network with other artists and organizations in their sector by using crowdfunding. With the social networking tools included into many crowdfunding platforms, creatives may interact with other users and share their work (Berman, n.d.).

Feedback

Crowdfunding can give artists insightful criticism of their work. On the campaign website, supporters can provide feedback and recommendations, which can assist artists in refining their work and strengthening the community surrounding their initiatives (Crowdfunding for Artists, n.d.).

References

Pratt, M. K., & Gonsalves, C. (2023, March 31). crowdsourcing. CIO. https://www.techtarget.com/searchcio/definition/crowdsourcing

Chan, T. F. (2018, June 1). Malaysia has so much debt it launched a crowdfunding campaign — and it raised $1.8 million in 24 hours. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/malaysia-started-a-crowdfunding-campaign-to-pay-off-debt-2018-6

Projek. (2023, September 3). HOME - PROJEK57. PROJEK57 - a MOVEMENT OF HOPE. https://www.projek57.com/

Zahari, A. (2016, January 23). Public sector crowdsourcing in Malaysia – Citizen engagement. Crowdsourcing Week. https://crowdsourcingweek.com/blog/public-sector-crowdsourcing-in-malaysia-citizen-engagement/

Crowdsourcing - PrepareCenter. (2023, February 4). PrepareCenter. https://preparecenter.org/topic/crowdsourcing/

Tavra, M., Racetin, I., & Peroš, J. (2021). The role of crowdsourcing and social media in crisis mapping: a case study of a wildfire reaching Croatian City of Split. Geoenvironmental Disasters, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-021-00181-3

Crowdsourcing Toolkit for Emergency Management - Integrating Crowdsourcing. (n.d.). https://www.crowdsourceem.org/integrating-crowdsourcing

Crowdfunding arts projects. (2017, January 20). Crowdfunding Arts Projects | Wired Canvas. https://wiredcanvas.com/marketing-ideas-generator/crowdfunding-arts-projects

WomenArts. (n.d.). Introduction to crowdfunding - WomenArts. https://www.womenarts.org/skills/crowdfunding/

Crowdfunding for artists. (n.d.). Artquest. https://artquest.org.uk/how-to-articles/crowdfunding/

Berman, N. (n.d.). Best Crowdfunding Platforms for Artists. https://blog.fracturedatlas.org/best-crowdfunding-platforms-artists

#mda20009 #digitalcommunities #week 8 #crowdsourcing #crowdfunding #blog #Youtube

[nyssabong]

‘Is social media useful in spreading information on Covid-19 in Malaysia or your home country?’

Older media, like newspapers and other publications, are gradually being replaced by more and more new social media platforms. According to Hussin, Rahman, and Azudin (2021), the government of Malaysia has been using various social media platforms to spread messages to the public, while staying current. Social media use has expanded, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is undoubtedly helpful in spreading awareness of the virus in Malaysia. The government uses social media during the pandemic to provide the most recent information, data on daily cases, and advice on safety precautions. Social media use during the COVID-19 shutdown may have some negative aspects, though.

Daily case Information

We are not permitted to leave the house until further notice during COVID-19. Our daily status and whether our city is in a red zone, yellow zone, or green zone is announced by the government every day. Certain platforms share information on social media when the government makes an announcement about it. Following that, we spread the word about the news on our social media accounts so that a larger audience may view it. As a consequence of people talking to one another, this outcome demonstrates how effective social media is at spreading information about COVID-19 in Malaysia.

In addition, we are unable to attend school because of COVID-19, and we are unsure of when we will be able to return. On the other hand, because social media is so effective at spreading information, everyone will know as soon as the government announces that we may return to school.

Furthermore, even though it is not allowed for us to leave the house, we still have to go grocery shopping. A lot of businesses had to temporarily close during the pandemic due to workers having direct contact with Covid-19 cases or customers who had previously visited such locations after getting the virus. We can easily determine whether or not we have close touch with them once we go out. Because social media will play an important part in the information's spread.

Types of Vaccines

We may also find out more about the Covid-19 vaccinations available in Malaysia through social media. Following the government's announcement during the pandemic that vaccinations are now available, several bloggers started sharing topics related to vaccines, such as the differences between the various vaccines, which Covid-19 vaccines are recommended, side effects of the Covid-19 vaccines, and the number of vaccines that are available.

Fake News

Nonetheless, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of fake news was spread over social media. Many spread fake news throughout the outbreak, such as "Today got a new virus", “Start from tomorrow no more MCO”, "Today got more cases", and similar rumours. There are false reports concerning vaccinations when we need to take the vaccine. Fake news is constantly being circulated on social media, which may contribute to public tension, worry, and panic, as well as vaccination phobia. Our Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin arrested several people or groups for spreading false information on Covid-19 and the Proclamation of Emergency (Kkd.gov.my 2023) in an effort to stop the spread of false information.

However, a number of people continue spreading fake news. Even if a piece of news may have had a lot of views, we still need to be able to determine if it is real or fake. The public was thus advised by Zahidi to utilise the sebenarnya.my portal and KKMM Quick Response Team alerts to verify the veracity of articles of news and to report any false news that concerns public or national interests by sending it to sebenarnya.my/salur/ (Kkd.gov.my 2023).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I personally believe that social media is useful in Malaysia for spreading information about COVID-19 in light of the previously shown reasons. The usage of social media is growing every day, and we also rely heavily on it for information during pandemics. Needless to say, it is not only Malaysia; because the social media has become so popular and it is so useful in our everyday lives, I believe that a lot of other countries are also using it for spreading information on COVID-19. Finally, remember to verify if the information we obtain from social media is real or fake.

References

Hussin, R, Rahman, SH & Azudin, N 2021, ‘Social Media Approach to Crisis Communication during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis from Malaysian Perspective’, Ulum Islamiyyah, vol. 33, no. S5, pp. 77–88, viewed 27 October 2023, <https://uijournal.usim.edu.my/index.php/uij/article/download/404/242/1232>.

Kkd.gov.my 2023, ‘Spread Of Fake News Cases Down By 83% During MCO 3.0 - Deputy Minister’, 15 June, viewed 29 October 2023, <https://www.kkd.gov.my/en/public/news/19175-spread-of-fake-news-cases-down-by-83-during-mco-3-0-deputy-minister>.

Abdul Rashid, A, Mohamad, I & Mohd Haris, AF 2021, ‘The Role of Social Media in Making an Impact to Health Knowledge and Behaviour on COVID-19 in Malaysia’, Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 155–157, viewed 28 October 2023, <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8260071/>.

#mda20009 #week 7 #blogging #practice #covid19 Malaysia #social media #not sure don’t share #Youtube

[captainthach]

• • • Rest In Peace @ServiceDogLiz4Military • • • HELP save a life JOIN >>>> @StopMilitaryAndPoliceSuicide 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Đại Úy CaptainThach.com Nguyễn Imperial Humanitarian Representative State of Vietnam Airborne: fb.me/SOVAirborne • • Help STOP suicide JOIN: • “SEAandPAL” - SuicidePrevention • 1. Group page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SEAandPAL • 2. LIKE page: https://www.facebook.com/SEAandPALsuicidePrevention • We Help>STOP>SCAMS>ScamLifeGuard.com --Educate - STOP - Internet Scam - #Military Scam - Romance Scam - Business Scam - #HumanTrafficking • • JOIN group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/LifeGuardCaptainThach • ---- Website - "ScamLifeGuard" - http://ScamLifeGuard.com • "Group Page" - Royal Lao Airborne Stop HumanTrafficking: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RoyalLaoAirborneStopHumanTrafficking • "LIKE page " - Royal Lao Airborne STOP HumanTrafficking - https://www.facebook.com/RoyalLaoAirborneStopHumanTrafficking • • "Subscribe" >>> https://www.YouTube.com/CaptainThach • • Public Affairs Office: Royal Lao Airborne Captain James Văn Thạch Captain, Infantry, United States Army, Retired http://CaptainThach.com • • Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/CaptainThach • Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaptainThach • YouTube > https://www.YouTube.com/CaptainThach • • Chinese - Beijing - Taiwan - Taipei - Macau - HongKong - #China - #Shanghai - Moscow - #Hanoi - NewDelhi - #LosAngeles - Israel - #NYC - #Paris - #Manila - Tokyo - Starbucks - #Thailand - #Malaysia - - #Bangkok - #India - #Jakarta - #Indonesia - #Canada - #Dog - #Dogs - #Puppy #Puppies - #Cat - #Cats #Kitten #Kittens - #Airport #servicedog #eyepatch #miami #miamibeach #miaminightlife • • - - We >> STOP >>> Scammer - Scammers Scam Poster help the WORLD • >>> fb.me/SOVAirborne ⚡ ⚡ ⚡ Public Service Announcement (at Macdill Air Force Base, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpjDwChuRvv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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[floralcrematorium]

What about,

🌴, 👻, 🤢.

I'm not really sure what else to say.

Thanks for the ask! Sorry I really ramble on in this one

🌴 - Out of the official nations, who do you consider the most underrated?

Of the main group? Definitely China, but that's something everyone can agree on.

I'm not sure who I would consider underrated per say because that implies I'm familiar with them and think they deserve more attention. There's a lot of characters I'm not familiar with either because of a lack of canon attention, fandom attention, or disinterest on my part (thinking specifically of Australia and New Zealand on that last point, sorry!). It also depends on like,,, the corner of the fandom you've found yourself in. I try to branch out because I like to know about characters outside of the ones we see most often in source. That and fans making content for the East Asia and South East Asia characters go hard in regards to all aspects of putting their faves out there.

I think the two characters who come to mind that I don't see a lot of content for are Cameroon and Thailand. Cameroon is seen maybe? Once? In the source material? And I can't remember seeing Thailand more than once in the anime as well. I've been seeking out more SE Asia content as I look to learn more about the Philippines (I am attempting to reconnect with my heritage so I seek Piri content, but that's not the point here), and I think I run into people talking about Mr. Thailand the least? Like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines are relatively new characters (I know they've been out for a couple years but I've been back in the fandom for like. a month) and get a good amount of attention. I also know Vietnam seems to be pretty well liked? Anyway, I really need to catch up on the webcomic because I know there was a SEAsia arc that I've taken a peek at but haven't read (not gonna lie to you besties, the only webcomic strip I've read read since being back is the furby one).

I also never see anything about Moldova (probably because he is a child) and Cyprus (unless it's to make fun of his haircut).

👻 - There are lots of explanations about what happened to Prussia after he was dissolved and why he's still around. What's yours?

Full transparency, I am going completely off of memory here. I personally think that nations still maintain their physical beings even after their official dissolutions -- the land may be under a different name, but their culture still lives on through their people. Poland being the prime example. I don't have enough knowledge on Partitioned Poland so I'm not going to ramble about something I have no business rambling about, but long story short: Poland was a powerful state, then didn't exist in name but Poles maintained their cultural identity through their fight for independence, and then Poland became a sovereign state again? Knowing the way Germany was divided following the Potsdam conference, I think Prussia as a,,, human thing must've undergone something similar to Poland. I know the timeline of Prussia's real life dissolution is a bit dubious; You'll get different answers (the unification of Germany, pre-WWII, 1945/47, and 1957).

I personally think so long the culture and people of a nation persist, so does their personification. I think nations are physically powerful in some way (See: Alfred's super strength) and are capable of unnatural regeneration and such, but I don't think they're almighty supernatural beings. I like the idea that first and foremost they are human. Their loss of sovereignty doesn't mean they'll die, but they're no longer seemingly invincible.

Also, Gilbert is one spiteful motherfucker. God will have to kill Gilbert himself.

🤢 - What aspect of canon bugs you the most? Could be a name, an age, a birthday, etc.

A lot. There's the obvious easy answer of... early canon material and the English dub, but that's something literally everyone talks about and we've all heard it enough.

It's not my business to speak on the names of other nations' names, but I've seen lots of criticism and suggestions for better names for characters like Greece, Egypt, and all 5 Nordics

Age is the one that bothers me the most. I cannot talk about it without rambling and getting disorganized so here are very very basic points. I have deleted 3 separate drafts of rants, so here are simple bullets with no further explanation:

Veneziano and Romano should not be depicted as children during the Renaissance considering a. the cities they respectively represent at their core are old as fuck and b. Italy as we know it today was unified in 1861. There's a lot of nuance and history here that I don't have the time to get into

Why is Alfred a teenager when a. America as a sovieregn state today is older than both Italy and Germany, who are given the human ages in Hetalia of 20 while Alfred is 19, and b. the United States entered a state of rapid growth (cough imperialism cough colonialism cough Western capitalism). I think he should technically older, but am not too mad because personality wise, he is very much 19

Why is Canada depicted as the same age physically as America all the time when Canada's road to independence was much much more drawn out than America's (this is a topic I need to look into further because I have No solids answers)

Why is China the only Hetalia who is given their age in regards to the actual age of the country whereas everyone else gets the age of their human body (I know it's probably just for the bit on how old China's been around, but Japan and India are also pretty damn old)

Aging can be based on numerous different things which. Is. Confusing. This is why I don't like writing nationverse lol

ANYWAY

Something else that bothers me are the things in Alfred's design that represents parts of the country. His bomber jacket has a 50 on the back and he wears it in the WWII strips when Alaska and Hawai'i weren't legally states yet. Also why are his glasses Texas????? Huh???? The cowlick being Nantucket is cute, I like that. BUT TEXAS????? I kinda wish there was something to represent the Great Lakes, but hey, that's what headcanons are for

Why do they keep darkening Francis' hair color?????? I actually really like it darker, but I swear with each season his hair gets a shade darker and it's kinda funny

Anyway. This took too long to write, sorry it's so long to read.

Hetalia Asks

#floralcrematorium ask box

[bxrtycrouchjr-is-a-theatre-kid]

'Why do we need pride month' aka my y11 gcse speech

My first memory was small, little, 5-year-old me, looking in the mirror and thinking, “You do not look like a [my deadname]”. That’s the first thought I can remember, word for word. Looking in the mirror and not recognizing the face that looks back, is not the biggest hardship these people face. Now I am not the only person who has had these experiences, in the 2021 UK census, 0.5% of the population said that their gender was different from that at birth, and that’s just those over 16 who answered the question. This group of people who are part of the LGBT community. 

Now, we all know of the LGBT community, all know people in it, friends, families, acquaintances, celebrities, all that jazz. There is two whole months of celebrating, February and June, LGBT History month and Pride month, respectively. And, well, I’m sure we’ve all heard, maybe said, maybe thought pf a simple question: ‘Why do we need Pride Month?’ 

Pride Month, set in June, is filled with celebration, parades, floats, weird things in stores that are just there for corporation’s capitalist games. Many of us have issues with the way that companies have commercialised a period of joy and triumph over hardships. By turning this month, a time of celebrating, into a time of consummation of as many distastefully designed products as they can, businesses have ignored the persecution, execution, homicide, and torture inflicted on the LGBT community in favour of making a pretty penny. You might be thinking ‘doesn’t doing it in the name of the community help? No, not when they aren’t working to educate people. Not when they don’t donate even the smallest part of their profit to an LGBT charity, actions speak louder than words, so if these companies are really trying to help, they should practise what they preach.  

You may think I’m saying: ‘No we don’t need Pride Month,’ but I am instead saying the exact opposite, we need the celebration. We need education on the history, hardships, and rights of a group of people that make up a rough 20% of our world (that is 1 in 5 people). We should donate to charities that help Queer People who are homeless, on the run or being abused because of something that they were literally born as. We must look at our laws and how they prevent those who aren’t cis-het from living a normal life. But we must also step away from looking at the pretty face of Pride and instead see how we can change for the better. 

In 2021, there were 375 recorded murders of trans people globally with 95% being trans women. This number has been steadily increasing every year, and I would like you to remember that this is recorded deaths where the motivation was because the victim was trans. In 69 countries it is illegal to be queer (as of 2020)including Barbados, Malaysia, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Liberia (Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua & Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Cook Islands, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Occupied Palestinian Territory (Gaza Strip), Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe- include list in PowerPoint-)- in fact 70% of the commonwealth it is illegal. Now, here we should be both proud and disturbed that this is something we are proud of, in only 10 countries is homosexuality punished through capital punishment. That is right, being executed because of who you are, including Brunei, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen. (Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Quatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, UAE, and Yemen -include list on PowerPoint-). 

In England and Wales only decriminalised male homosexuality in 1967 (with female homosexuals legal throughout time and law which makes relatively little sense because either they didn’t believe lesbians exist or some other strange reason). However, despite being frowned upon, male homosexuality was only punishable by death from 1533 in the UK, another reason to despise Henry VIII. It was only in 2001 when the age of consent for queer couples was lowered to 16, the same as the heterosexuals. In 2000, people could be openly queer in the military, in 2005 both the legal ability to change gender and Same-Sex civil partnership was legalised and in 2014, the same was applied to Same-Sex Marriage. Surprisingly it was only 2020 when Northern Ireland did the same, with Cuba and Slovenia legalising in 2022 and Andorra’s Same-Sex marriage laws coming into affect this year. A total of 34 countries have legalised Same-sex marriage, including Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico and Taiwan. (Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands,, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay -include list on PowerPoint?). 

Now as we can see through legislation, despite us getting excited about 34 countries doing the bare minimum, there is still a lot of work for us to do. However, it is best to understand why we need Pride month if we look back at its origins. Pride Month originated after the Stonewall riots in the US 1969, the UK had their first Pride celebration in 1972, thus the 50-year celebration in the New Years celebration last year. The Stonewall Riots began in the 28th June 1969 when Police raided the Stonewall Inn, brutalised a number of patrons for being suspected homosexuals, female police officers to certain Patrons into the bathroom to check their sex because they thought they were crossdressing- there where laws on crossdressing which is mad- and it ended with the Patrons fighting back, a catalyst that started a gay rights movement. Now if you have heard ‘Glad To Be Gay’ by the Tom Robinson band, or you are a Marauders fan, or you just pay attention in History, you would know that up until the 1980s, Police would raid gay pubs and arrest queer people for stuff like resisting arrest- which makes no sense because why would they be being arrested for resisting arrest, what was the original charge?- and there was just a lot of violence against the LGBT community, because that is exactly what they needed during the AIDs epidemic when they were losing many friends and lovers to an invisible enemy.  

Now with that briefest History you will ever get from me, I do hope you see how important it is that we recognise, remember and rebel for the sake of the millions of people killed throughout time for being something that God made them. We need pride month to remember the trials and tribulations, we have, are and will face but also show how far we have come. Hopefully next time you think about a question similar to this one, or choose to completely disregard common sense, you will remember why the LGBT community shout, fight, rebel, cry, celebrate and laugh, and rethink what you’re saying.

umm yh idk why im sharing this. this was the first draft (i couldn't find the last lol' but yh hope you enjoyed.

#lgbt #pride month #gcse speech #gcse english #why do we need pride month #legislation and stuff #laws #homophobia #pride #im a queer