#Malaysian Forces AU

[hanashiz]

OCZ in Malaysian Forces AU

Happy Independence Day (31/8) and Happy Malaysia Day (16/9)

[irish-agender-moss]

Hi! I'm kinda new to your account, I love your & others headcanons for pjo characters. So I wanna share some of mine!

SALLY, & PAUL

Sally to me is Malaysian her birth name is Suleika Jusoh, her parents [Mom-Esah/Estelle Jusoh nee Tey, Dad-Bintang/Benjamin Jusoh] had gone to take care of her grandparents [Granpa-Haissam, Granma-Kasih] funeral rites in Malaysia, the plane back unfortunately crashed & they where killed in crash

From then on she was raised by her Uncle Reehab Jusoh, Ruben in America, who'd somehow gotten a house on Montauk beach, when Suleika was seventeen her Uncle Reehab died from a chronic illness [honestly I'm thinking an std], leaving everything he had in Sally's name, the house on the beach isn't fully livable, no running water & the electricity is kinda shoddy, so she moves into NYC proper

Percy is actually named after his grandfather, Perseus Benjamin Jackson [PB&J cause i think im funny like that], Percy of course is Malaysian & I wanna say his Greek side is from the region of Pylos but I can't remember why I chose it

Estelle is also named after her Grannies, Estelle Janet Blofis

Sally's always been protective of using their actual names in legal things, her parents wrote her down as Sally to give a better chance at getting bye in the US & she did the same for Percy in both the real & mythical world

Paul Blofis to me was very dad/uncle coded so he looked like the guys on the mom's side of my family, so he's Afro-Latino, he specifically trace himself to Panama & Mexico, from his mom [Janet nee Yarrow, Afro-Latina] who moved from Panama to the US, & his dad's [Oscar Sr.] side who is Mexican, he's got two older siblings [Janice & Oscar Jr.], an older cousin [Garfield], a cousin his age [Raymond], a little sister [Caroline], & a younger cousin [Lilia]

He's always been the black sheep of the family, not from their own trying & his own, things would just fall out of step & once he graduated & started working in NYC he just didn't call & talk much anymore, the advent of his marrige to Sally & Estelle's birth kinda forced him to get his shit together & actually talk about his life

[I like to think Percy's mortal cousins call him PB for short]

So those are all my Jackson-Blofis family headcanons! Hope that wasn't to many & I hope you like it!

Meant to reply to this sooner than I did, so apologies on that, but this is really good! I seem to be collecting AUs/Headcanons like mythomagic cards lmao

@millylotus

[militaryleak]

Indonesian Air Force and Royal Malaysian Air Force Conduct Coordinated Patrol to Secure Strait of Malacca

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) have undertaken Coordinated Patrol (Patkor Malindo Series I/2024) operations to ensure security along the Indonesia-Malaysia border, specifically in the Strait of Malacca. Indonesia deployed two F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon fighter jets from the 16th Air Squadron, 6th Air Wing at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base. These aircraft were piloted by First Lieutenants Galih Rakasiwi and Ghazi Umar Marzuq. After taking off from Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base in Pekanbaru, the two TNI AU F-16s rendezvoused with two TUDM F-18 for a joint patrol over the Strait of Malacca. Air Base Commander of Roesmin Nurjadin, Air Commodore Feri Yunaldi, emphasized the significance of this collaboration between Indonesia and Malaysia. Yunaldi stated that the primary objective is to safeguard the airspace and waters of the Strait of Malacca, thus fostering security and stability for both nations. He highlighted that strengthening bilateral relations is crucial, given that the Strait of Malacca is one of the busiest maritime routes in the world. Ensuring its security is vital for maintaining the smooth flow of economic activities. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak

The Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) have undertaken Coordinated Patrol (Patkor Malindo Series I/2024) operations to ensure security along the Indonesia-Malaysia border, specifically in the Strait of Malacca. Indonesia deployed two F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon fighter jets from the 16th Air Squadron, 6th Air Wing at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base. These aircraft were…

[nyriatamare]

MASTER POST

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NixenSibrat

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTX4pXNz8ErAkInZxlS3PKg?view_as=subscriber

Discord server: https://discord.gg/rvYQmgYSHy

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MAIN TAGS:

#LAUverse #Nixen’s art

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LAUverse - You may learn more about this in my discord server.

Comic tag: #LAUcomic

GZtale - I own the AU and the characters in it. The original idea is still by Golzy! But I've gotten official consent of the original creator to own it.

Tag: #GZtale #GanzSans #Gz!Sans #GZ!Papyrus #GZ!Frisk #GZ!Toriel #GZ!Undyne  #GZ!Asgore  #GZ!Chara  #GZ!Mettaton

Morsetale - An AU I created base on the fact that I learn how to read morse code

Tag: #morsetale 

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>>> This post will be updated when more new things pop up so do be aware!

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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Note: If you ask me any of these question, I will just answer the same thing as here.

Q: "How old are you? When is your bday? What is your height? Dominant hand? What country are you from?"

A: I'm 19. Oct 1st. 5'9ft (179 cm). Right handed. Malaysian

Q: "What tools do you use to draw?"

A: I use a Artist 12 (2nd Gen) screen display tablet and my art program of choice is Clip Studio Paint EX.

Q: "How long have you been in the Undertale fandom?"

A: Ever since the game came out.

Q: "Will you be doing UnderNC/Gztale comic?"

A: I’ll be making a sequel to the GZtale comic for closure :D

Q: "Is there a favourite Undertale AU/Sans/ship you got?"

A: Fav AU is GZTale (ironically). Fav Sans is Reaper!Sans. Fave ship I'd say Error and Ink. But others are open to ship what ever they please! And I'm open to draw any other ships tbh. (Avoiding incest tho sorry qvq)

Q: “What is LAU?”

A: Join my discord to find out :D

Q: “How many Sanses are gonna be in LAUverse?”

A: Let’s see. A lot of Sanses that were featured in Underverse, but also some additional cameos and new other au characters too. So it won’t just be Sanses.

Q: "Are there gonna be ships in LAUverse?"

A: No. No ships(between the Sanses). Just rivalry and funny friendly frienemies moments :D

Q: "Can I dub your comic? Can I translate your comic? Can I repost it?"

A: Yes. Yes. And yes. Just give me proper credit by linking it to the original source :)

Q: “Can I rp as your characters?”

A: Sure I don’t mind. :p Don’t force your headcanons on me though.

Q: Can I use your characters in my comic?

A: Of course! It’s up to you if you want to follow their canon traits or not :O

Q: Can i request you to RP with me?

A: I usually RP with my friends that I’ve gotten to know longer. It takes a whole lot of trust tbh. 

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[qqueenofhades]

Everytime I read "Nicolo di Genova" my brain glitches and I read "Nicolo do Genovia" instead so /whispers/ Kaysanova Princess Diaries AU?

...yes. Did someone say Gay Champagne Romcom? Because that is my Brand.

Nicolò is an Italian-American graduate student living in New York City with his widowed Italian mother and working on an engineering degree at NYU. He was thinking about joining the priesthood for a few years and recently dropped out of seminary and is feeling that Millennial Crisis that all of us know about. He has gone on a few Tinder/Grindr dates, but it’s hard enough to meet someone in this city even when you’re not a gay ex-priest engineering student living in his mother’s rent-controlled apartment in Morningside Heights because have you seen the property prices in New York. Plus WHENEVER he brings a nice boy home, HEY PRESTO there’s his mom waiting eagerly up in the front room, “NICOLÒ WHO IS THIS HANDSOME YOUNG MAN, DOES HE HAVE GOOD PARENTS, IS HE A CATHOLIC NICOLÒ” and of course that instantly kills any kind of romantic mood. Nicolò is like “let’s just go over to yours PLEASE.” But he tends not to see his dates again anyway, and it’s equally depressing, and it’s nice that his mom isn’t homophobic or anything, but he’d like to just meet someone without his mother instantly planning the Big Fat Gay Italian Wedding, and yes he knows this is a nice problem to have but STILL

Anyway, then of course the Dead Dad Circus rolls into town, and Nicolò learns that he’s not actually the son of a nice hardworking Italian immigrant, but of His Serene Highness Prince Domenico Grimaldi of Genovia, who wouldn’t you know it, has recently died too young from cancer and left no legitimate heir except the result of his rebellious teen fling with a cocktail waitress in Capri – which would be, you guessed it, Nicolò. While Nicolò is still processing the horrifying mental image of his mother being a cocktail waitress in Capri and having to look up Genovia on a map, the rest of the royal machine is kicking into overdrive. This involves a very awkward meeting in a very fancy Manhattan hotel with Nicolò’s magnificent but rather out-of-touch royal grandmother, Her Serene Highness The Queen Mother Maria Elisabetta Henrietta Julia Victoria Mignonette Grimaldi of Genovia. She’s basically Julie Andrews because obviously. She informs Nicolò of his Solemn Duty to return to Genovia and become Prince Nicolò and eventually be prepared to take the throne and submit to a fascinating life of minor European royal family ribbon-cutting duties. Oh, and getting married and producing more heirs to the throne, on pain of breaking a thousand-year-old bloodline, though she doesn’t say this out loud. Her loyal right-hand man, driver, and general bodyguard/fixer/man about town, Sebastien le Livre aka Booker, gives Nicolò various sympathetic looks but does not interrupt.

Nicolò obviously freaks out and runs off to call up his best friend at NYU, Andy. Andy is some indeterminate degree of years older than him, in some indeterminable stage of her Classics PhD, and sometimes says weird things like how badly the Library of Alexandria had already been defunded by the Roman emperors before it finally burned, like she was there and holds a personal grudge about it. She is a cranky vodka-drinking lesbian who rides a motorcycle, gets them into periodic scrapes, and understands his shit dating life. She deeply empathizes with all his “I’m not going to run away and leave my life in New York to become part of some creakingly antique regressive imperial monarchic system of racist and homophobic oppression, NO SIR!” Fight the power, Nicolò. Fuck those guys.

Of course, however, Julie Andrews Grandmother Maria prevails and Nicolò is forced to take Prince Lessons, which he hates but tries to be a good sport about, because, well, he’s Nicolò and he’s a good person. He is then whisked off on a private plane to Genovia, because they want to see him in situ before they make a final decision on accepting him as their prince. There of course we have the high-life palaces and parks and snooty clueless aristocrats who look at Nicolò like he’s a prize racehorse and have absolutely zero clue, none, nada, about the real world. Just as Nicolò is about to firmly decide that this is a complete crock of shit and he’s going back to NYU, he meets….

Prince Yusuf ��call me Joe” al-Kaysani.

Joe is a minor member of one of the Middle Eastern royal families, some fictional tiny Gulf kingdom that is super SUPER oil rich. He has a title and a lot of money but doesn’t have a clearly defined role in the family, other than that he’s been ordered not to embarrass it. Nicky does not know this when they first meet, but obviously it’s not possible to be an out gay prince in a conservative Arabian-peninsula Islamic kingdom, and therefore the fixers have arranged for Joe to be publicly dating a daughter of the Malaysian sultan, Quynh. (We are making her Malaysian in this instance so she can also be Muslim and hence an appropriate match for Joe.) Except Princess Quynh is also hella lesbian and is getting the same thing out of the fake dating with Joe that he is, i.e. throwing people off the scent of their real selves. They spend their time together in private eating popcorn, commiserating about their lives and crazy royal families and the press invading their privacy, watching romcoms, and Judging the Straights. They’re actually best friends and text each other all the time, so at the royal function where Joe runs into the stiff and nervous and clearly overcompensating New Guy who’s evidently the New Prince of Genovia, and oh my god Q he’s the Most stuck up person I’ve EVER MET, Quynh is the first to hear ALL about it. She immediately suspects that Joe doth protest too much.

Meanwhile, Nicky meets Nile Freeman, another young American (from Chicago, obvs) who is working at some important EU institution currently headquartered in Genovia. They also hit it off and Nile tells Nicky about the things she wants to do to help change the world and why she’s here, and he is moved by her kindness and altruism and remembers that that was what he wanted too, and why he joined the priesthood in the first place. He opens up to her about the shock of learning the truth about his now-dead dad and the crazy whirlwind he’s been sucked into and how he doesn’t know what to do, and their friendship is beautiful and we love it.

Meanwhile, of course, Nicky and Joe keep running into each other and getting on each other’s nerves, Nicky is thisclose to calling up Booker and ordering him to deport Joe because why is he always here (Booker, of course, will eventually become a secret ally in helping them see each other, but that is not quite yet). There is some Shenanigan where they end up both getting into trouble, Grandmother Julie Andrews is not amused, and finally they are forced to sit next to each other for a whole state dinner and Be Polite, because Genovia is trying to forge better relations with Joe’s kingdom. (Genovia is tiny, ancient, and broke, Joe’s kingdom has obviously a ton of money, there are old historical ties between them, some Genovians traveled to the kingdom in the past, Genovia’s trying to improve its human rights record and take in more refugees, etc. Nile is also helping with this last). So Nicky and Joe get ordered to fake a highly convincing bromance and pretend they’ve been best buddies all along (think Red White and Royal Blue) and that means they have to actually learn about each other and spend time together and ugh, he’s a spoiled rich playboy brat, and ugh, he’s a clueless American who thinks he’s better than us, and…

Oh no.

Yes, of course they fall in love, they deny it as hard as they can, Nile and Quynh and Booker are all increasingly exasperated by their attempts to pretend they’re not, and finally they kiss and make love and admit their feelings and that they want to be together. Then of course they get outed by some scheming evil cabinet minister (Merrick) who doesn’t want Nicky to become king and disapproves of him dating (gasp) a MUSLIM WHO IS ALSO A MAN, and there’s a huge scandal and a ton of drama and the usual Romcom Breakup Angst as they decide whether they can still see each other. Andy flies out to Genovia to comfort Nicky, Booker has a Word With The Queen, and Joe hides in his room until Quynh (along with Nile, who she’s met and hit it off with) appears to tell him that he has to be brave, she’ll help.

Anyway, etc etc., Drama, “I love him no matter what, if you don’t accept him you don’t accept me and your STUPID BLOODLINE CAN CHOKE” speeches from Nicky, Julie Andrews sees the light, they decide that Nicky and Joe can keep seeing each other, and it’s all rather sweet. There’s a lot of public relations to be managed and whether Joe’s family is going to disown him and what this will mean for the whole international relations thing, but… one thing at a time.

Nicky agrees to become Prince of Genovia as long as he can be with Joe, Joe decides that hey, he likes Nile too and there’s plenty of meaningful work to be had here and the three of them can join forces to do good things and he’s going to stay, and the Genovian public obviously comes around and loves them. Nobody can find Princess Quynh. It’s rumored she ran off to America with a cranky vodka-drinking PhD student of indeterminate age and was last seen on the back of a motorcycle heading west.

Everyone lives happily and gayly ever after.

The End.

[olderthannetfic]

It's really surprising that you're so well versed in older fandoms and yet participate in new popular ones (that cdrama, kpop) is this by design? Im in my twenties and my interest turnover is already way slower than it used to be

You know, that’s a really interesting question. I wouldn’t say it’s by design exactly in that I do tend to just follow what strikes my fancy, and I can’t force myself to want to write fic for just anything. (I find it easier to like reading fic without serious involuntary emotional investment, but writing takes more. Vidding I can do on command most of the time, but I don’t usually bother unless I have a lot of feels or I’m fulfilling someone’s prompt.)

However, me getting into BTS was 100% due to me wanting to understand BTS enough to explain to people who weren’t very interested but wanted to know what was going on in fandom lately. Under normal circumstances, I run the dance party at Escapade, the oldest extant slash con. We borrowed vividcon’s thing of playing fanvids on the wall--all of them set to dance music--as the soundtrack for the dance party. This means I’m creating a 3-hour mixtape of fannishness, which has amazing potential to make people feel in the know about Fandom Today... and equal potential to make them feel alienated if nothing they care about shows up. Only about 100-150 people attend the con, so it really is possible to make a playlist that feels inclusive yet informative--it just takes a huge amount of work.

Every year, I do a lot of research on which fandoms are getting big and look for vids from vidders people won’t have heard of, so there is an element of consciously trying to keep up with things. Generally, I only get into these fandoms myself if I had no idea what they were and then suddenly, oops, they’re my kryptonite, like the buddy cop android plot in Detroit: Become Human, which sucked me in hard for like 6 months on the basis of a vid.

(So if you’re into cross-fandom meta and associated stuff as one of your fannish interests, you tend to have broader knowledge of different fandoms, old and new, than if you’re just looking for the next place you’ll read fic. It’s also easier to love vids for unfamiliar things than fic.)

But though I was only looking for a basic primer on BTS, BTS has 7 members with multiple names and no clear juggernaut pairing, not to mention that AU that runs through the music videos and lots of other context to explain. The barrier to understanding WTF was going on at all was high enough that to know enough to explain, I had to be thoroughly exposed... And once I was over that hurdle, oops, I had a fandom.

--

In terms of old vs. new, here’s the thing: kpop fandoms in English and c-drama fandoms in English right now feel a lot like anime fandom in English did in the early 00s. I had a Buddy Cops of the 70s phase in the middle, but my current fannishness is actually a return to my older fannishness in many ways.

What do I mean about them being similar?

Yes, I know some wanker will show up to say I think China, Korea, and Japan are indistinguishable, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the way that I used to routinely meet Italian and French and German fans, Argentinian and Mexican, Malaysian and Indonesian and Filipino too. English-language fandom of SPN or MCU may have all those fans from all those countries, but it feels very American most of the time. English-language fandom of a non-English-language canon is more overtly about using English as a lingua franca.

It also tends to attract people who as a sideline to their fannishness are getting into language learning and translation, which are my other passion in life after fanworks fandom. (I speak only English and Spanish and a bit of Japanese, but I’ve studied German, French, Russian, Mandarin, Old English, and now Korean.)

Nerds arguing about methods of language learning and which textbooks are good and why is my jam. This is all over the place in English-language fandoms of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean media. Those fandoms also tend to be full of speakers coming from a Germanic or Romance languages background who face similar hurdles in learning these languages. (In other words, if you’re a native Japanese speaker trying to learn Korean, the parts that will be hard for you are different than if you’re an English speaker, but you’re also usually not doing fandom in English.)

There’s also an element of scarcity and difficulty of access and a communal attempt to construct a canon (in the other sense) of stuff from that country that pertains to one’s fannishness. So, for example, a primer explaining the genre of xianxia is highly relevant to being a n00b Untamed fan, but just any old thing about China is not. A c-drama adapted from a danmei webnovel is perhaps part of the new pantheon of Chinese shit we’re all getting into, but just any old drama from decades ago is probably not... unless it’s a genre precursor to something else we care about. Another aspect here is that while Stuff I Can Access As A N00b Who Doesn’t Speak The Language may be relatively scarce, there’s a vast, vast wealth of stuff that exists.

This is what it felt like to be an anime fan in the US in 2000. As translation got more commercial and more crappy series were licensed and dumped onto an already glutted market, the vibe changed. No longer were fans desperately trying to learn enough of the language to translate or spending their time cataloguing what existed or making fanworks about a show they stuck with for a bit: the overall community focus turned to an endless race of consumption to keep up with all of the latest releases. That’s a perfectly valid way of being fannish, but if I wanted that, I’d binge US television 24/7.

Anime fandom got bigger, but what I liked about anime fandom in English died, and I moved on. (Okay, I first moved on to Onmyouji, which is a live action Japanese thing, but still.)

Hardcore weeaboos and now fans of Chinese and Korean stuff don’t stop at language: people get excited about cooking, my other other great passion. Times a thousand if the canon is something like The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, which is full of loving shots of food preparation. People get excited about history! Mandarin and Japanese may share almost nothing in terms of grammar or phonology, but all of East Asia has influence from specific Chinese power centers historically, and there are commonalities to historical architecture and clothing that I love.

I fell out of love with the popular anime art styles as they changed, and I’m not that into animation in general these days. (I still own a shitton of manga in art styles I like, like Okano Reiko’s Onmyouji series.) I’ve become a filmmaker over the last decade, and I’m very excited about beautiful cinematography and editing. With one thing and another, I’m probably not going to get back into anime fandom, but it’s lovely to revisit the cultural aspects I enjoyed about it via live-action media.

BTS surprised me too, to be honest. I really dislike that early 90s R&B ballad style that infests idol music (not just Korean--believe me, I resisted many rounds of “But Johnny’s Entertainment though!” back in the day). While I like some of the dance pop, I just don’t care. But OH NO, BTS turn out to be massive conscious hip hop fanboys, and their music sounds different. I have some tl;dr about my reactions in the meta I wrote about one of my fanvids, which you can find on Dreamwidth here.

--

But back to your comment about turnover: I know fans from the 70s who’ve had one great fannish love and that’s it and more who were like that but eventually moved on to a second or third. They’re... really fannishly monogamous in a way I find hard to comprehend. It was the norm long ago, but even by the 90s when far more people were getting into fandom, it was seen as a little weird. By now, with exponentially more people in fandom, it’s almost unheard of. I think those fans still exist, even as new people joining, but we don’t notice them. They were always rare, but in the past, only people like that had the stamina to get over the barriers to entry and actually become the people who made zines or were willing to be visibly into fanfic in eras when that was seen as really weird. On top of that, there’s an element of me, us, judging the past by what’s left: only people with an intense and often single passion are visible because other people either drifted away or have seamlessly disappeared into some modern fandom. They don’t say they’re 80 or 60 or 40 instead of 20, so nobody knows.

In general, I’m a small fandoms and rare ships person. My brain will do its best to thwart me by liking whatever has no fic even in a big fic fandom... (Except BTS because there is literally fic for any combination of them, like even more than for the likes of MCU. Wow. Best fandom evar!) So I have an incentive to not get complacent and just stick with one fandom because I would very soon have no ability to be in fandom at all.

My appetite for Consuming All The Things has slowed way down, but it also goes in waves, and a lot of what I’m consuming is what I did back in 2000: journal articles and the limited range of English-language books on the history of m/m sex and romance in East Asia. It’s not so much that I have a million fandoms as that I’m watching a few shows as an expression of my interest in East Asian costume dramas and East Asian history generally.

I do like to sit with one thing and experience it deeply rather than moving on quickly, but the surface expression of this has changed depending on whether I’m more into writing fic or more into doing research or something else.

But yes, I do do a certain amount of trying to stay current, often as a part of research for fandom meta or to help other people know what’s going on. Having a sense of what’s big doesn’t automatically mean getting into all those things, but I think some fans who are older-in-fandom and/or older-in-years stop being open to even hearing what’s new. And if you’ve never heard of it, you’ll never know if you might have liked it.

[loud-whistling-yes]

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year?

24. favorite fic you read this year?

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read?

3. 100% Hypno's part of One Hundred Thousand Worlds Away. Never have I ever captured the feeling of being low-key suffocated by the smell of flowers while suffering in the heat so well. Also the fact that I also managed to make his narration trail off and zone out, mmm I'm so proud of that snippet of the fic despite it taking up less than a quarter of just that chapter. Considering I 1. have been to some flower farms/flower shops in the malaysian heat before 2. am a student who cannot concentrate in class to save my life, I think I combined those two pretty well

24. *pulls out my bookmarks*

Candid Melody by BastardBin. This shit is tooth-rottingly sweet and holy shit it's so soft and adorable. Also very gay. This is the fic that single-handedly pulled me into liking scarian in the first place. Did I mention it was scarian? Anyways if you're a scarian fan (or even just a hermitshipping type of guy) I highly recommend it. 10/10.

The White Tree by TheManOfManyFandoms. This fic actually has a part 2 in the collections called Timeless that is more focused on the fiances rather than just Karl himself, but I absolutely love the first one. This series is incredibly well written and I love how it's narrated I can't point out why I love it so much but oh my god go read the fic drop kudos and send the author lots of love this fic is so underrated compared to most fics in this fandom. Also should mention this fic is about timetraveler!Karl Jacobs lol

Freefall by SylverFletcher. This one is like the others where it's a short one chapter fic but this one in particular is very short and sweet. This is mostly just describing Grian flying and doing tricks in the air with no dialogue at all, which is something I love about fics sometimes. Gives me light, carefree vibes that I love!

25. Aside from the ones up top... *pulls out even more bookmarks*

Tommy Runs by WitchesCatOnABroomstick. If you like hermit!Tommy stuff this one is a short read about how Tommy got to Hermitcraft. The writing style fits incredibly well with the story and gives it a really impactful feeling overall

A Watcher's Duty by Nym_P_Seudo. Sadly this one is unfinished and probably won't update for the foreseeable future but if you're the type that doesn't mind a half-finished fic this one is a lovely read. Hollow Knight fic of Lurien being forced to babysit a very young Hornet and a very awkward Pure Vessel. This one is pretty popular within the fandom if I remember correctly and the characters are very charming

There are Hallowed Beings in Pharloom by FangirlOfPower. Yet another HK fic, this one is a pretty interesting take of the story of Hollow Knight, namely if Silksong is a prequel to the main game. Absolutely amazing writing, I wish I could give more than one kudo

Passerine by blujamas and thcscus. Yes, groan if you're getting sick of this fic, but I'm telling you: this fic made me cry thrice in the span on one (1) chapter. It's heartbreaking. It's amazing. Go read it. It's great. (for people not into dsmp and are confused this is a royalty AU fic where people die a lot and it hurts like a bitch every time)

There's a lot more but I actually went ahead and pulled out all the fics I absolutely recommend people to read we'd be here for an hour ^^;

[moretreasurewithinarchive]

Under the cut, I’m gonna put what I have so far for Eiluned & Elyan. And if anyone is interested, feel free to message me. Cause I would be so thrilled if someone wanted to write Elyan. Knowledge of the Chronicles of Prydain isn’t necessary for him as it would be for Taran and Adaon, though I’d love to have them too, no lie. Content warnings for stalking and sexual harassment, as well as miscarriages and stillbirth.

Eiluned and Elyan are the birth parents of Taran, the main character of the Chronicles of Prydain. In the books we find out that she and his dad were killed in a battle and the enchanter who took Taran in and raised him didn't know who they were.

Eiluned is an orphan herself, her dad died before she was born, and her mom died giving birth to her. She's raised in the castle of King Pryderi, a minor character mentioned in the last book. She works as a maid most of her life until Pryderi decides that he wants to marry her, because of her beauty. However, Eiluned is in love with Elyan, who’s a gardener. Pryderi, however, doesn’t take that well, and plans to force the marriage anyway. Essentially Belle and Gaston. 

Before the forced wedding can take place, Eiluned and Elyan flee the castle, and Pryderi’s lands. They run across the country, and stop for a while at Caer Dathyl, castle of High King Math and Prince Gwydion; the latter ends up becoming their son's mentor and hero in the future. Also the same castle where Adaon and Arianllyn reside. Gwydion is friends with Pryderi, as they come from a race called The Children of Don, who was a Welsh Goddess. 

Gwydion marries Eiluned and Elyan, and she tries to warn him about how depraved Pryderi is becoming, already starting down the path that would lead him to his fate in the last book roughly 20 years later, but he doesn't listen. Elyan would have been happy staying at Dathyl, but Eiluned thinks Pryderi is gonna follow them. So they keep running until they either arrive at a location I have yet to determine yet. There’s 4 or 5 possibilities. I just have to do some reading and try to pin down which would fit best. They settle down there and Elyan becomes a farmer, and Eiluned becomes a potter. And they're happy. Eiluned, of course, is on edge for a while, and looks over her shoulder all the time, expecting Pryderi to come for her.

They do have some struggles having a family. Eiluned has 1 or 2 miscarriages, and a stillborn daughter, before Taran comes. And then the battle comes and they both die, but she hides Taran in the trees to keep him safe, and the enchanter Dallben finds him there and takes him into his care, as he’s been searching for him for years.

There are 3 witch type figures, who I can most closely equate to the Fates. Taran and other characters have encounters with them later. And I'm thinking Eiluned has some sort of connection to them. Like maybe she has dreams that guide her choices or something. Not exactly pinned down yet. And neither she or Elyan know exactly what their son's destiny is, but from the dreams and her own intuition, she knows it's something great.

I'm also thinking of Aus where Eiluned lives- in which case her fc will be Liv Tyler- and looks for Taran, where both she and Elyan live and look for Taran, and like a modern reincarnation thing? Where Don is like look you guys had a bad hand. We'll give you another chance. Arianllyn has a similar verse for Adaon.

Eiluned and Elyan are both Pagan. As is Prydain. Elyan is up for debate in modern stuff, and up to mun if they decide to take him. But Eiluned will remain pagan regardless of verse. 

While at Caer Dathyl, Eiluned and Elyan spend time as well with Taliesin, his wife, and his little son Adaon, who later become Arianllyn’s fiance. Taran later meets Adaon and it's a thing. I'm going for as many connections between them and Taran's story and later life as I can get CAUSE FATE IS INTERCONNECTED DAMN IT.

Eiluned is very much like Ella, personality wise. She remains optimistic and faithful, good natured, and tender hearted despite all the hardships she and her husband go through.

SURVIVAL AU WHERE EILUNED ACTUALLY FINDS HER BABY AND HE'S ALL GROWN UP.

Taran’s birth name is Alun Uang, the first name means Harmony and indicates his destiny while the second is his father’s first name. Taran, on the other hand means Thunder. Elyan means A Moment In Time, and Eiluned means Much Desired. Her middle name is Siriol, which means Content. 

Elyan calls Eiluned his primrose, and brings her primroses from the garden all the time.

Elyan’s full name, in modern threads, will be Uang Elyan Jin. The first and surnames mean Great and Gold. His paternal grandparents were immigrants to Prydain. His father was born there, and his mother and her family were Prydainians. His fc, Remy Hii’s father is Chinese-Malaysian and his mother is English. 

Pryderi is stated to be good looking, harsh, and blonde. So his fc is likely to be Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Nikolaj is 18 years older than Anna, and I did want an age and power gap between Pryderi and Eiluned.

In Prydainian verses, neither Eiluned or Elyan can read or write. But they’re by no means dumb. Elyan, as a gardener, can identify almost any plant by sight, and knows their uses. He knows some blacksmithing and fighting. Eiluned is a potter who also knows a bit of weaving, and though she can’t read, she can come up with stories and tunes with some ease. And in verses where one or both of them survive and find Taran, they’re proud that he can read and write, as well as sculpt, smith, garden, and weave. They’re also extremely proud of his accomplishments and skills. 

The youngest age we see Eiluned is 18. She has Taran around the age of 22. And, at the most, he was 6 months old when the battle that killed Eiluned and Elyan took place. In that time, Alun/Taran was her world. 

Taran’s late sister’s name was Lyn Dafina. 

Pryderi uses his tactic mentioned in the final book, wearing an unsheathed sword until a battle is won, to intimidate the members of his household. 

[thelittleukrainianwell-armedgirl]

Lettre ouverte à Emmanuel Macron

Monsieur le Président,

Nous, citoyens ukrainiens ou français, Européens de statut ou de coeur, connaissons votre engagement pour obtenir de Vladimir Poutine la libération des Ukrainiens détenus en Russie en qualité « d’otages » — puisque les crimes qui leur ont été reprochés sont imaginaires. Nous vous sommes reconnaissants pour votre obstination, qui a porté ses premiers fruits. Le 7 septembre dernier, 35 d’entre eux ont été échangés.

Mais nous ne sommes qu’au milieu du gué. 87 Ukrainiens sont encore détenus en Russie, de façon tout aussi injuste que leurs compatriotes désormais en liberté, après des arrestations arbitraires et des procès truqués. Dans le Donbass contrôlé par les forces russes, 227 militaires et citoyens sont privés de liberté. Parmi ces centaines de personnes, pour n’en citer que quelques uns, se trouvent le défenseur des droits, coordinateur de « Solidarité criméenne » Emir Hussein Koukou, les journalistes de Crimée Nariman Memediminov et Remzi Bekirov, le journaliste de Donetsk Stanislav Asseev, l’infirmière Marina Tchouïkova, le professeur de philosophie Oleg Galaziouk, le retraité Vitali Atamtchouk… Non seulement la Fédération de Russie rejette les exigences des organisations internationales sur la libération des prisonniers politiques, mais la répression s’intensifie. Rien qu’en mars 2019, 24 nouvelles personnes ont été arrêtées en Crimée et emmenées en Russie. Beaucoup des détenus ukrainiens n’ont pas le droit de recevoir de visites du Comité international de la Croix rouge. Certains d’entre eux ne peuvent obtenir les médicaments dont ils ont besoin. D’autres ont été torturés.

Vladimir Poutine considère ces prisonniers comme une fructueuse monnaie d’échange. Il veut s’en servir pour arracher des concessions de la part de l’Ukraine lors du prochain sommet au « format Normandie » (Russie, Ukraine, France, Allemagne) le 9 décembre à Paris. Le président russe voit d’abord votre projet d’inclure la Russie dans la civilisation européenne comme l’occasion d’obtenir des gains : levée des sanctions, réintégration de son pays dans les instances internationales, concession ukrainiennes, disculpation dans l’affaire du Boeing de la Malaysian Airlines abattu en juillet 2014… En échange, si les enchères lui paraissent satisfaisantes, il sera peut-être prêt à libérer quelques otages — avant d’en kidnapper de nouveaux, pour la fois d’après. Ce jeu se pratique dans les mafias, ou avec des groupes terroristes. Mais il est indigne de relations saines entre grandes nations. Pour un Etat de droit, la liberté de personnes innocentes ne s’échange pas. Elle s’obtient. Pour le pays qui a considéré les droits universels, le chantage avec des vies humaines n’est pas admissible.

Monsieur le Président, si vous voulez que la Russie participe, tout comme l’Ukraine, à la politique et à la culture européenne, refusez les méthodes de voyou et le chantage. Réclamez la libération sans conditions des prisonniers ukrainiens. Avant de pousser l’Ukraine à des concessions, avant de croire sur paroles les promesses de Vladimir Poutine, imposez des règles du jeu claires avec Moscou. Nous vous demandons de mener à bien la tâche que vous avez courageusement et brillamment commencée : obtenez que tous les otages ukrainiens soient rendus à leurs familles.

https://www.lesnouveauxdissidents.org/single-post/2019/12/09/Lettre-ouverte-à-Emmanuel-Macron

[crystalracing]

Quiz

1) What do Jenson Button & Mark Webber share in common?

a) Raced w/Honda engine

b) Never won home GP

c) 2+ poles at Barcelona

d) Won Italian GP

2) Which of these teams never achieved a podium at US GP between 2000-2007 when it was held at Indianapolis?

a) Jordan

b) Sauber

c) Williams 

d) Renault

3) What driver had been running third at 2006 Monaco GP before his hydraullcs failed with six laps remaining?

a) Kimi Raikkonen

b) Christian Klien

c) Mark Webber

d) Jarno Trulli

4) At 2007 Canadian GP, which driver was forced to pit for repairs after hitting a groundhog whilst running in 3rd place?

a) Anthony Davidson

b) Giancarlo Fisichella

c) Christian Klien

d) Mark Webber

5) Which driver was overtaken on the final lap by Michael Schumacher at both Malaysian GPs held in 2002 & 2003?

a) Jarno Trulli

b) Jenson Button

c) Jacques Villeneuve

d) David Coulthard

6) Which race did BAR (British American Racing) clinch their maiden podium?

a) 2000 Canada

b) 2001 Spain

c) 2004 Malaysia

d) 2004 Bahrain

7) How many races did a BMW-powered car win between 2000-2009?

a) 10

b) 8

c) 13

d) 11

8) In 2004, which unemployed driver was considered a possible mid-season replacement for Giorgio Pantano at Jordan before Timo Glock was chosen?

a) Jos Verstappen

b) Jacques Villeneuve

c) Anthony Davidson

d) Heinz-Harald Frentzen

9) What was Bjorn Wirdheim’s role during 2004 #F1 season?

a) Minardi race driver

b) Williams test driver

c) Jaguar third driver

d) Jaguar race driver

10) How many race wins did Vitantonio Liuzzi clinch in International Formula 3000 during 2004?

a) 4

b) 5

c) 7

d) 10

11) Except Ferrari & Minardi, which other team used an Italian national racing licence during 2000 #F1 season? BENETTON

a) PLEASE ANSWER  

b) BELOW IN COMMENTS

12) Which driver became the then-youngest ever driver to race in F1 when he debuted during 2009?

a) Sebastien Buemi

b) Kamui Kobayashi

c) Adrian Sutil

d) Jaime Alguersuari

13) Who was BMW Sauber’s team principal between 2006-2009 when the German manufacturer took over the Swiss team?

a) Gerhard Berger

b) Willy Rampf

c) Mario Theissen

d) Peter Sauber

14) Name at least 7 drivers who scored points on their Grand Prix debut between 2000-2009. Go!

Kimi Raikkonen, Mark Webber, Timo Glock, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Sebastien Bourdais, Sebastien Buemi

15) What do Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve share in common?

a) Both raced in Indycar

b) Best 2005 result: 4th

c) Both podiums at Italy

d) Won in France

16) What did Arrows and Spyker share in common?

a) Orange liveries

b) Both used A23 chassis

c) Monteiro raced for both

d) Scored points in Australia

17) Which of the drivers listed below competed in the fewest #F1 races between 2000-2009? (excluding Badoer, Winkelhock etc.)

a) Nicolas Kiesa

b) Tomas Enge

c) Robert Doornbos

d) Franck Montagny

18) Which national racing licence did Red Bull use during 2006 #F1?

a) Austrian

b) Thai

c) American

d) British

19) Which driver suffered the most number of retirements between 2000-2009?

a) Kimi Raikkonen 41

b) Giancarlo Fisichella 44

c) Mark Webber 45

d) Jarno Trulli 51

20) Which driver originally finished in the top 8 before having 25 seconds added to his race time (for overtaking under yellow flags) at 2006 Australian GP?

a) Christijan Albers

b) Scott Speed

c) Jarno Trulli

d) Nico Rosberg

21) After 2000, Peugeot sold their #F1 engine department to Dr. John Gano and Enrique Scalabroni. They supplied rebranded power units to Minardi & Arrows in subsequent seasons, but what were they called?

a) European

b) Supertec

c) Asiatech

d) Fondmetal

22) From which nation does Bridgestone originate from?

a) Thailand

b) South Korea

c) Japan

d) Malaysia

23) Name at least 7 drivers who NEVER raced at Australian GP between 2000-2009 (but competed in other races during this time period). Go!

Tomas Enge, Nicolas Kiesa, Robert Doornbos, Franck Montagny, Sakon Yamamoto, Markus Winkelhock, Luca Badoer, Jaime Alguersuari, Kamui Kobayashi, Romain Grosjean

24) How many times did Michael Schumacher clinch pole at a season-opening race during his #F1 career? #KeepFightingMichael

a) 4

b) 5

c) 6

d) 7

25) OPINION POLL: Which of these drivers do you believe to be the worst to have raced in #F1 between 2000-2009?

a) Alex Yoong

b) Yuji Ide

c) Giorgio Pantano

d) Gaston Mazzacane

26) Which driver would complete all of his career #F1 races during 2005 only?

a) Tiago Monteiro

b) Patrick Friesacher

c) Robert Doornbos

d) Christijan Albers

27) Between 2000-2009, how many times did McLaren win the Hungarian Grand Prix?

a) 4

b) 5

c) 6

d) 3

28) Which national racing licence did Midland F1 use during 2006 #F1 season?

a) Russian

b) Canadian

c) British

d) Romanian

29) Excluding 2005 USA, which race had the fewest cars running (i.e. not stopped on track) at the chequered flag?

a) 2004 Monaco

b) 2003 Brazil

c) 2008 Australia

d) 2004 USA

30) Which of these #WRC drivers have tested a #F1 car?

a) Richard Burns

b) Petter Solberg

c) Marcus Gronholm

d) Markko Martin

31) During 2007 #F1, Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Spyker & Red Bull led at least one lap during a race. Name the other team to have led at least one lap during this season.

a) Toro Rosso

b) Williams

c) Honda

d) Toyota

32) Name all the tyre brands Rubens Barrichello has raced with during his whole #F1 career

Goodyear, Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin

33) Who finished 3rd at 2008 French Grand Prix?

a) Robert Kubica

b) Jarno Trulli

c) Heikki Kovalainen

d) Lewis Hamilton

34) Which of these drivers has actually stood on the podium (in person) every time he’s finished there (i.e. not requiring a disqualification of another driver post-race nor missing the ceremony due to requiring medical attention)?

a) Jenson Button

b) Fernando Alonso

c) Rubens Barrichello

d) Heinz-Harald Frentzen

35) Which these of GP2 drivers raced in #F1 between 2000-2009?

a) Vitaly Petrov

b) Neel Jani

c) Bruno Senna

d) Gianmaria Bruni

36) At which Canadian Grand Prix did Jarno Trulli & Nico Rosberg “perform” a synchronized spin at the same corner?

a) 2008

b) 2007

c) 2006

d) Never happened

37) Who was the managing director of Super Aguri during their stay in #F1?

a) Daniele Audetto

b) Robert Fernley

c) Mark Preston

d) Aguri Suzuki

38) Which season between 2000-2009 had the most different drivers claiming pole position?

a) 2004 (7)

b) 2005 (9- Fisichella, Alonso, Raikkonen, Heidfeld, Button, Trulli, Michael Schumacher, Montoya & Ralf)

c) 2008 (6)

d) 2009 (8)

39) At the exit of which corner did Michael Schumacher park his Ferrari during qualifying for 2006 Monaco GP?

a) Sainte Devote

b) Portier

c) Tabac

d) La Rascasse

40) Name at least 8 drivers who NEVER raced at Japanese GP between 2000-2009 (but competed in other races during this time period). Go!

Luciano Burti, Tarso Marques, Allan McNish, Yuji Ide, Patrick Friesacher, Giorgio Pantano, Franck Montagny, Markus Winkelhock, Luca Badoer, Kamui Kobayashi

41) How old was Cristiano da Matta when he made his #F1 debut in 2003?

a) 26

b) 29

c) 28

d) 31

42) At which corner did Kimi Raikkonen crash at 2001 San Marino GP race?

a) Acque Minerali

b) Rivazza

c) Tosa

d) Variante Alta

43) Which country had the most number of drivers qualify for at least one race (not necessarily at the same race together) during 2005 #F1 season?

a) Brazil

b) Italy

c) Germany

d) Britain

44) Which of these countries had a driver participate in #F1 between 2000-2009 using their national licence (despite descending from a different country)?

a) United Arab Emirates

b) San Marino

c) Belgium

d) Monaco

45) Which team helped Nico Rosberg win the inaugural 2005 GP2 title? (Bonus: Who was his team principal? Answer in comments)

a) DAMS

b) ART

c) BCN

d) Arden

46) What do Felipe Massa & Rubens Barrichello share in common (other than hailing from Sao Paulo, Brazil & racing for Ferrari)?

a) The same mother

b) Same no. of F1 wins

c) Won Brazil GP

d) Raced for Sauber

47) Which of these teams FAILED to score points on their Grand Prix debut?

a) Red Bull (2005 AUS)

b) BMW Sauber (2006 BAH)

c) Toyota (2002 AUS)

d) Prost (1997 AUS)

48) Name 6 drivers who scored a podium, but never won a race, between 2000-2009 (includes drivers who won races in other decades & WDCs). Go!

Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jacques Villeneuve, Eddie Irvine, Nick Heidfeld, Takuma Sato, Alex Wurz, Pedro de la Rosa, Tiago Monteiro, Timo Glock, Nelson Piquet Jr, Nico Rosberg

49) Which driver led the 2nd most number of laps during 2007?

a) Lewis Hamilton (321)

b) Felipe Massa (300)

c) Fernando Alonso (203)

d) Kimi Raikkonen (212)

50) 2003 #F1 season had a new points-scoring system. Which team would’ve finished 5th in the WCC under the old points system of 10-6-4-3-2-1?

a) Jordan

b) Sauber

c) BAR

d) Toyota

51) Michael Schumacher’s costly engine failure at 2006 Japanese GP was his first engine-related retirement since...

a) 2001 Germany

b) 2000 Monaco

c) 2000 France

d) 2001 San Marino

52) Who said these famous words “Hamilton’s 7th, Hamilton 7th- by my calculations we win the championship by one point.”

a) Rob Smedley

b) Chris Dyer

c) Ross Brawn

d) Jean Todt

53) Which of these venues did Antonio Pizzonia never race at during his #F1 career?

a) Indianapolis

b) Silverstone

c) Hockenheim

d) A1 Ring

54) How many podiums did Jaguar claim in their time in #F1?

a) 0

b) 1

c) 2

d) 3

55) Which of these companies was a title sponsor of Williams at some point between 2000-2009?

a) DHL

b) ING

c) AT&T

d) Etihad

56) Name 4 drivers who NEVER raced at US GP between 2000-2007 (but competed in other races during this time period). 

This excludes new drivers who appeared during 2008-09 (So no Badoer, Bourdais etc.) Go!

Luciano Burti, Tarso Marques, Antonio Pizzonia, Robert Kubica, Markus Winkelhock, Robert Doornbos, Sakon Yamamoto

57) Which race did Jenson Button score his & BAR’s first points of 2005 #F1 season?

a) Europe

b) San Marino

c) Britain

d) France

58) Who picked up the most fastest laps between 2000-2009?

a) Michael Schumacher (37)

b) Kimi Raikkonen (35)

c) Fernando Alonso (13)

d) Rubens Barrichello (17)

59) Who finished 10th at 2002 German Grand Prix?

a) Takuma Sato 

b) Mika Salo

c) Jacques Villeneuve

d) No one

60) Which of these venues has Robert Kubica raced at during his #F1 career?

a) Indianapolis

b) Buddh

c) Fuji

d) Imola

61) Who holds the record for most consecutive podium finishes?

a) Lewis Hamilton (16)

b) Michael Schumacher (19)

c) Fernando Alonso (15)

d) Sebastian Vettel (11)

62) Which season had the most different winners?

a) 2001 (5)

b) 2003 (8)

c) 2008 (7)

d) 2009 (6)

63) Name 7 Brazilian drivers who raced in #F1 during 2000-2009. Go!

Barrichello, Diniz, Zonta, Burti, Bernoldi, Marques, Massa, Pizzonia, da Matta, Piquet

64) Which driver won from the furthest back on the grid between 2000-2009?

a) Jenson Button (14th)

b) Fernando Alonso (15th)

c) Kimi Raikkonen (17th)

d) Rubens Barrichello (18th)

65) At which race did Robert Kubica make his #F1 debut?

a) 2007 Australia

b) 2006 Britain

c) 2006 Hungary

d) 2005 USA

66) In which season did Michael Schumacher score the most number of poles within a year for his #f1 career?

a) 2000

b) 2001

c) 2002

d) 2004

67) Which of these Grands Prix did Alex Yoong (Minardi) fail to qualify for?

a) 2001 Italy

b) 2002 Malaysia

c) 2002 Britain

d) 2002 Hungary

68) How many seconds did Sebastian Vettel take to pick up a fine on his 1st Friday practice outing with BMW-Sauber at 2006 Turkey? #F1

a) 3

b) 5

c) 6

d) 8

69) When Fernando Alonso finished 3rd at 2005 Brazil, he became #F1's then-youngest ever world champion. Who was the previous holder of the youngest F1 WDC record before him?

a) Michael Schumacher

b) Niki Lauda

c) Jim Clark

d) Emerson Fittipaldi

70) Name the teams who won #F1 races during 2000-2009, but failed to score a podium at 2008 & 2009 Singapore GPs (excluding Jordan). Go!

Ferrari, BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Honda, Brawn, Red Bull

71) Which nation has held a #F1 race during the sport’s history, but NOT during 2000-2009?

a) Morocco

b) Colombia

c) Malaysia

d) Thailand

72) At which race did Christian Klien score his maiden #F1 point(s)?

a) 2005 Europe

b) 2006 San Marino

c) 2004 Belgium

d) 2004 Japan

73) Which of these drivers had been considered for one of the Williams-BMW seats in 2000, but was rejected for Jenson Button?

a) Dario Franchitti

b) Bruno Junquiera

c) Fernando Alonso

d) Pedro de la Rosa

74) How many drivers earned their maiden #F1 win between 2000-2009?

a) 12

b) 13

c) 14

d) 15

75) Which of these countries have hosted an UEFA European championship for football/soccer, but have not yet hosted a #F1 race?

a) Sweden

b) Switzerland

c) Norway

d) Poland

76) Name ALL the teams Giancarlo Fisichella raced for during his #F1 career

Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India, Ferrari

77) Which of these countries have hosted a FIFA World Cup for football/soccer, but have not yet hosted a #F1 race?

a) United States

b) Chile

c) South Korea

d) Argentina

78) Name 6 International Formula 3000 champions who raced in #F1 between 2000-2009 (Felipe Massa does NOT count as he won “Euro F3000″ series)

Jean Alesi, Olivier Panis, Ricardo Zonta, Juan Pablo Montoya, Nick Heidfeld, Justin Wilson, Sebastien Bourdais, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Luca Badoer

[ninermike9m]

Hello young souls, . It's truly an honor to introduce to y'all our legendary Mr Au Ting Ling, . ... an icon of aircraft maintenance instructor since the Royal Malaysian Air Force training days based at Kinrara in early 1970's, later joined Malaysia Airlines in 1980's until 1990's before he was assigned to become Training Manager for MAS Centre for Military Technical Training (MCMTT) located at Institut Teknologi Aerospace (ITAS), Kepala Batas, Alor Star . A collaboration between Malaysia Airlines Engineering Training Department and Dilog Resources to train the future RMAF aircraft maintenance technicians. . . When the RMAF Technician program was awarded to MATA in 2006, Mr Au Ting Ling was offered to be the Training Manager for the newly setup Malaysia Airlines Engineering Training Center (METC) located at MAS old Hangar One (1) which no longer exists now . . As the first METC Training Manager, "with amazing team members, sharing knowledge and experience, and the rest is HISTORY!" . METC trainees are second to none shout out slogan every Monday morning Master Parade 😁 , actually referred to the "person" who can draw an entire aircraft structure repair or systems by heart ❤️ no other than Mr Au Ting Ling himself 💪😍😎 . . It was an honor to be one of his students and we would like to wish him many many more years of blessings and you can see from the pic, he always look younger every single year!! 😁 How come lahhh 🤔��� . . Lastly, we would like to share this quote: . OLD TEACHERS NEVER DIE; THEY JUST GRADE AWAY. - Anonymous . Happy Chinese New Year 2023 from all of us at ninermike9M Malaysia . Cheers 😎 . ninermike9M Malaysia #9Mgreen #9Myoungsouls . #aviation #avgeek #aircraft #airport #aircraftengineer #lae #airbus #instaaviation #instaplane #fly #aviationdaily #jet #flight #sky #aviationgeek #aircraftmechanic #caam #malaysiaairlines #malaysia #airasia #fireflyz #malindoair #boeing #maswings #kerjaya #maukerja #lepasanspm #icao (at Systematic Aviation Training HQ) https://www.instagram.com/p/CntClJdLsr-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[takeoffphilippines]

SEEK Asia Launches Let’s Get To Work To Empower Job Seekers After "Great Resignation"

SINGAPORE, 19 November 2021 — Today, SEEK Asia, the parent company of leading jobs platforms JobStreet and JobsDB, and with investments in JobKorea and BDJobs (Bangladesh), announces the launch of its new omni-channel campaign aimed at getting job seekers, and especially first jobbers, to work. This comes after the pandemic caused unemployment rates to skyrocket to an estimated 81 million in Asia, with many still unable to secure a job. The pandemic has also changed people’s attitudes towards their jobs, with many re-evaluating where and how they want to work and the kind of work they want to do. This has led to the emerging trend known as the “Great Resignation”, a term coined by associate professor of management at Texas A&M University Anthony Klotz, which explains why even experienced job seekers are choosing to leave their current careers in the search of something more meaningful.

Aptly titled “Let’s Get To Work”, SEEK Asia’s latest campaign will be rolled out in its six key markets from today, running across digital, out-of-home (OOH) advertising, social media, and PR. Let’s Get To Work is a continuation of SEEK Asia’s brand evolution that began in late 2020, and will focus its messaging on empowering job seekers to go after careers they are passionate about. The campaign also indicates an ongoing strategic business shift, positioning JobStreet and JobsDB as not just a jobs platform, but also as a career and talent partner for both job seekers and hirers, respectively.    

The fully integrated marketing campaign is helmed by leading global marketing company McCann Worldgroup and will see adaptations of the regional campaign across microsites, campaign films in each of the six local languages, and in-market activations. McCann will work alongside Think Tank’s multi-award-winning director Adrian Calumpang. Calumpang is a creative force with a long list of clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, Heineken, Nestle, Nike, and Unilever — to name a few. His style is typically sought after because of the way he portrays youth culture; elements that can be seen through the high-energy aesthetic of the Let’s Get To Work brand films.

Jane Cruz-Walker, Chief Marketing Officer at SEEK Asia, said: “While the pandemic has caused widespread job loss, reduced working hours, and pay cuts, it has also caused many to re-evaluate what they want out of their career. Job seekers’ demands have evolved beyond remuneration — they want a sense of fulfilment, good work-life balance, and career progression — and it is time for companies to adapt to this new world of work. This is why SEEK Asia is launching Let’s Get To Work: to motivate job seekers to pursue the jobs they love! By providing job seekers with opportunities to find jobs that they are passionate about, we want to be the career partner that will inspire the next generation of workers and empower them to be the heroes in their own career journey!”

Focusing on the hyperlocal nature of the job market, Let’s Get To Work will also feature influencers and key opinion leaders will be used across the region — including Singaporean actress Sharon Au, Malaysian stand-up comedian Harith Iskander, Indonesian vlogger Gerry Girianza, Filipino actor and chef Marvin Agustin, Thai musician Manassavee, and Hong Kong fitness entrepreneur Charlz Ng.    

In the Philippines, leading online job portal JobStreet will be bringing this exciting campaign to life with over 10 local influencers and key opinion leaders from different professions and industries, who will be sharing career advice from their own experiences to motivate and empower jobseekers.

This holistic campaign can be accessed in a variety of channels, including a microsite with a range of stories, videos, tips, and advice to guide and inspire candidates on their ‘Let’s Get to Work’ journey.

“It has been a tough couple of years for Filipino jobseekers and I’m sure many are looking for a new career direction or a fresh perspective on what they really want from their jobs. Our campaign is here to help restore their passion for work and encourage them to push through these present challenges, so they could look forward to next year with a renewed sense of purpose in their career,” shared JobStreet Philippines Country Manager Philip Gioca.

With over 13 million candidates and 75,000 job vacancies in the country, JobStreet remains committed to empowering the job market amidst the pandemic through continued efforts such as nationwide virtual career fairs and access to various online career tools.

In 2022, SEEK Asia will also be launching the Biggest Tech Career Fair in Asia, which aims to accelerate digital transformation efforts by providing more opportunities for job seekers to secure roles in companies driven by technology. As the biggest career fair in the region, SEEK Asia will aim to match thousands of tech job opportunities to hundreds of thousands of candidates.

Peter Bithos, CEO of SEEK Asia, said: “SEEK Asia is the biggest and most trusted jobs board in Southeast Asia. Our ambition is to grow fourfold in the next five years and to expand our platform beyond what people have come to know and love us for today. We are strengthening our existing business by making big investments in ​​people, innovation, and technology. Through Let’s Get To Work, we will be able to better engage with and inspire job seekers to find jobs that are meaningful to them. With our appeal to job seekers, this will also allow us to get more employers on the platform looking for quality talent, allowing an explosion of opportunities. Let’s Get To Work is an integral part of SEEK Asia’s commitment to job seekers and employers, and this is just the beginning of our exciting developments and plans.”

To learn more about JobStreet’s Let’s Get to Work campaign, visit https://getwork.jobstreet.com.ph/.  

[reseau-actu]

Russie-Otan: Des questions que l’on ne pose plus

La Rédaction

Madaniya - Civique et citoyen. Ce site se veut un lanceur d’alerte. Il nourrit l’ambition d’assumer la fonction d’un vigile. Dénoncer et combattre l’instrumentalisation de la religion comme arme de combat politique. Prôner la neutralité de l’Etat, de même que la séparation de la religion de l’Etat. Réclamer un statut civil identique à l’ensemble des concitoyens. Promouvoir la citoyenneté et non l’appartenance communautaire. Madaniya s'honore de la responsabilité d'abriter au sein de sa rédaction des opposants démocratiques en exil en provenance des pays du golfe, dont la contribution se fera, pour des raisons de sécurité, sous le sceau de l'anonymat, par le biais de pseudonyme.

Par Yakov Rabkin. L’auteur est professeur d’histoire à l’Université de Montréal

«Cet article n’a pas pour but d’innocenter la Russie ou de dévoiler les vrais coupables mais d’identifier des questions de base que l’on ne pose plus: le motif et le profit du crime». Yakov Rabin

Texte paru dans le journal de Montréal Le Devoir et sur www.madaniya.info avec son aimable autorisation

La crise internationale autour de l’attentat contre Sergueï Skripal, ex-espion britannique au sein du service de renseignement militaire à Moscou, a fait couler beaucoup d’encre depuis une semaine. La Grande Bretagne a expulsé 23 diplomates russes en les accusant d’être des agents de renseignement.

Ayant suivi le débat télévisé en direct depuis la Chambre des communes, j’ai entendu des appels de parlementaires britanniques à des mesures robustes, allant du boycottage du Mondial de Football en Russie à la rupture des relations diplomatiques. La noble indignation était à son apogée.

Or, en même temps, Scotland Yard affirmait que l’enquête continue et qu’il n’y a à ce stade aucune conclusion tirée sur le motif et l’auteur de l’attentat. C’est pourquoi Mme Theresa May ne pouvait qualifier la culpabilité alléguée de la Russie autrement que comme «hautement probable». Cet article n’a pas pour but d’innocenter la Russie ou de dévoiler les vrais coupables mais d’identifier des questions de base que l’on ne pose plus: le motif et le profit du crime.

La question du motif est importante. Si c’est l’État russe qui en est l’auteur, il est difficile de comprendre pourquoi il ne l’aurait pas fait disparaître pendant les années qu’il a passées à purger sa peine de prison pour trahison en Russie. Une autre question bien connue depuis l’antiquité, qui en profiterait?

C’est clair que ce n’est pas l’État russe dont la réputation est davantage ternie à quelques mois de la coupe du monde de soccer. Le président russe n’aurait pas commandé un tel assassinat ciblé (que pratiquent plusieurs pays, dont Israël et les États-Unis) afin de rehausser sa côte de popularité à quelques jours des élections présidentielles: il n’en a tout simplement pas besoin.

Avion de la Malaysian Airlines abattu au dessus de l’Ukraine

La question du motif n’a été posée ni dans l’affaire de l’ex-agent de sécurité Litvinenko, ni dans le cas de l’avion de la Malaysian Airlines abattu au-dessus de l’Ukraine. Quel profit en a cherché à tirer la Russie? Quel profit aurait cherché à en tirer la Russie? Pour l’ensemble de ces cas, par ailleurs, aucune preuve irréfutable n’a été produite quant à l’auteur des ces actes même si les politiciens occidentaux et les médias mainstream ont pointé du doigt Moscou. Or, il s’agit en fait de la présomption de la culpabilité de la Russie.

La mini guerre déclenchée en Géorgie en 2008

Un autre cas célèbre où la Russie a été vite mise au banc des accusés est la mini-guerre déclenchée en Géorgie en 2008 le jour même où commençaient les Jeux olympiques à Pékin. Selon le consensus occidental et les manchettes des journaux, l’armée russe aurait initié le conflit. Or, une commission d’enquête de l’Union européenne a constaté, après une étude détaillée des faits sur le terrain, que c’était la Géorgie qui avait attaqué les forces russes agissant sous le mandat des Nations Unies.

Le triomphe de la pensée unique à propos de l’attaque de l’Espagne à Cuba; «Remember The Maine to Hell vith Spain».

Finalement, la saga de l’ingérence alléguée de l’État russe dans les élections aux États-Unis, dans les campagnes pour les référendums d’indépendance en Écosse et en Catalogne, dans celle pour le Brexit etc. démontre que la pensée unique triomphe sur l’obligation d’examiner les faits et poser les questions de base.

Il s’agit en fait d’un phénomène bien connu de mobilisation de l’opinion publique afin de fabriquer un ennemi.

À la fin du 19e siècle la presse américaine sous la baguette de William Hearst et de Joseph Pulitzer (oui, celui du Pulitzer Prize) a littéralement fomenté la guerre contre l’Espagne sous prétexte d’une attaque contre le Maine, bâtiment de guerre américain à la Havane.

C’est l’Espagne qui «jouissait» alors de la présomption de la culpabilité: «Remember the Maine. To hell with Spain» clamait la presse sans que le mystère n’ait été clarifié jusqu’à nos jours. Et, bien entendu, on ne posait pas la question «à qui profite le crime?». Assurément, il n’a profité ni à l’Espagne, ni à Cuba qui fut ensuite occupée par les troupes américaines.

Cet article met en relief une dangereuse tendance de remplacer l’examen rationnel des faits par l’indignation et la diabolisation. Cette tendance est plus dangereuse qu’à l’époque du Maine. De nos jours elle risque de provoquer une confrontation nucléaire à des conséquences inimaginables.

Illustration

AFP

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Article complet: Madaniya — http://www.madaniya.info/2018/04/02/russie-otan-des-questions-que-lon-ne-pose-plus/

[mideastsoccer]

Global Turmoil: Ethics offer a way out of the crisis

By James M. Dorsey

 A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, Patreon and Castbox.

 Rarely is out-of-the-box thinking needed more than in this era of geopolitical, political and economic turmoil.

 The stakes couldn't be higher in a world in which civilizationalist leaders risk shepherding in an era of even greater political violence, disenfranchisement and marginalisation, and mass migration.

 The risks are magnified by the fact that players that traditionally stood up for at least a modicum of basic economic, social, political and minority rights have either joined the civilisationalists or are too tied up in their own knots.

 The United States, long a proponent of human rights, even if it was selective in determining when to adhere to its principles and when to conveniently look the other way, has abandoned all pretence under President Donald J. Trump.

 Europe is too weak and fighting its own battles, whether finding its place in a world in which the future of the trans-Atlantic alliance is in doubt, Brexit or the rise of civilizationalist leaders within its own ranks.

 The long and short of this is that civil society’s reliance on traditional strategies and tactics to exert political pressure serves to fly the rights flag but is unlikely to produce results.

 The same is true for traditional often heavy-handed and violent government attempts to quell protests.

 In some ways, this weekend’s landslide vote for pro-democracy forces in Hong Kong lays down a gauntlet for the governments of the city and China.

 “Even if the current wave of protests recedes, the instability will very likely persist for some time and may even become a permanent situation… because the problems that cause the protests appear unresolvable by means of the current political and economic system,” said Israeli journalist Ofri Ilany.

 Mr. Ilany put his finger on the pulse. This decade’s global breakdown in confidence in political systems and leaders not only spotlights the problem but may also create opportunities for out-of-the-box thinking.

The key lies in the fact that protesters across the globe in Santiago de Chile, La Paz, Bogota, Port-au-Prince, Quito, Paris, Barcelona, Moscow, Tbilisi, Algiers, Cairo, Khartoum, Beirut, Amman, Tehran, Jakarta, and Hong Kong as well as movements like the Extinction Rebellion essentially want the same thing: a more transparent, accountable and more economically equitable world.

 The Middle East and North Africa, the one part of the world that exasperates the most, also represents the worst and the best of responses to the global clamour for change.

 While Egypt under general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi is almost a textbook example of what drives global protest, Tunisia and Kuwait, offer lessons to be learnt. So do some of the world’s longer standing success stories such as Singapore.

 Tunisia has emerged as the one country that experienced a successful revolt in 2011 and was able to safeguard its achievements because its leaders, much like Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew, saw power as a tool to secure national rather than personal interests and at a time of crisis worked with civil society to engineer a national dialogue that crafted a way forward.

 Similarly, Kuwait, a constitutional semi-democratic anomaly in a region governed by secretive autocrats, recently opted for a more transparent competitive approach towards politics.

 As a result, Kuwait saw this month its ruling family take its internal differences and disputes public. The differences forced the government to resign as members of the ruling family accused each other of embezzlement in advance of parliamentary elections scheduled for next year and a possible succession in which the assembly would have a say.

 Achieving protesters’ goal of more equitable and accountable political and economic systems involves not only adherence to the rule of law, including the implementation of international law, and application of the principle of equality before the law of not only individuals and organizations but also states.

 It further involves the need to make principles of right and wrong and of respect of human dignity the moral and ethical underpinnings of the architecture of a new world order by which all ranging from an individual to a state are judged.

 That is the fundamental message of protests across the globe that denounce a world in which financial or economic benefit justifies violations of rights and civilisationalists have abandoned any pretence of adherence to international law.

 Heeding the protesters’ message means ensuring that at least international law provides an effective mechanism to hold accountable security forces that use lethal force against largely peaceful protesters as well as politically responsible officials that authorize unjustified brutality in what often amounts to mass killings.

 This year’s numbers speak for themselves, including some 100 on a single day in Sudan, more than 350 in a matter of weeks in Iraq, more than 100 in Iran and scores in Chile.

 The need for morals and ethics is gaining momentum with hardline realist proponents of the projection of power as well as some leaders raising the alarm bell.

 The rise of artificial intelligence persuaded former US secretary of state and national security advisor Henry A. Kissinger, a symbol of realpolitik and the wielding of power, to recognize the importance of morals and ethics.

 Writing in The Atlantic, Mr. Kissinger warned that the consequence of artificial intelligence “may be a world relying on machines powered by data and algorithms and ungoverned by ethical or philosophical norms.”

 Threats resulting from the abandonment of international law and the lack of moral and ethical yardsticks were evident in this month’s unilateral recognition by the Trump administration of the legality of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory long viewed by jurists and the international community as illegal.

 The move highlighted the link between protecting individual rights and freedoms and national security.

 Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad warned that the administration’s move meant that “we are no longer safe. If a country wants to enter our country and build their settlements, that is legal. We cannot do anything,”

 Mr. Mahathir was projecting onto states a sentiment of vulnerability among protesters and minorities across the globe that results from the random, unrestricted employment of power by those in positions of authority.

 Similarly, Singapore’s Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon warned last month that "countries increasingly adopt a zero-sum mentality in eschewing multilateral agreements as shackles on sovereignty and a burden on economic growth."

 Mr. Menon’s words must have been music in the ears of Norway’s successful US$1 trillion rainy-day oil fund that has proven that growth and profitability are achievable without abandoning norms of moral and ethical investment.

 Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG), the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund returned three percent or US$28.5 billion to the country’s pension pot during in the second quarter of 2019.

 Guided by Norway’s Council of Ethics, which monitors the fund’s investments, GPFG recently

blacklisted shares in British security company G4S because of the risk of human rights violations against its workforce in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

 Said New York Times columnist David Brooks: “The world is unsteady and ready to blow… The big job ahead for leaders…is this: Write a new social contract that gives both the educated urban elites and the heartland working classes a piece of what they want most.”

 To achieve the kind of social and economic justice as well as live-and-let live environment that Mr. Brooks advocates, leaders, governments and civil society will have to rediscover and readopt the moral and ethical values that are embedded in the world’s multiple cultures and common to much of mankind.

 Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture

[rareearthsinvestor]

Chaos and the Rare Earths Sector

In simple terms (which is what I need) Chaos Theory as an explanation for the emergence of certain events within a complex environment has been so described. A"...branch of mathematics that deals with complex systems whose behavior is highly sensitive to slight changes in conditions so that small alterations can give rise to unintended consequences...the science of surprises, and not always pleasant surprises" (Google,2017).

Personally, I don’t know about the mathematical formula for Chaos Theory but if it relates to ‘complex systems’ that are ‘sensitive’ to ‘slight changes’ which can lead to ‘unintended consequences,’ then we seem to have serious examples of such theory already at work globally.

In fact, “Chaos Theory as the science of surprises” - now appears very apropos to the critical metals sector and, therefore, to the Rare Earths (RE) Investor Website and Forum. Before Trump’s era, RE investors were lamenting the approx. 6 year malaise in the RE sector. Investors asked why it seemed governments were so happily accepting that China be allowed to continue its dominance of this strategic arena? Why were so many companies (and militaries) with RE related needs so content to farm out all their needs to the Chinese? Didn’t the 2010-2011 Chinese/Japanese saga actually mean anything in terms of a global critical metals warning? Basically, there weren't the catalysts around related to RE after 2010-11 to provide the 'Oomph' for any positive movement within the sector.

Bingo! - Fast forward to 2019. The science of surprises hit home.

Apparently, the US had already elected a politician or pragmatist who actually meant what he said. The Americans have a President it seems who while loath to send human forces into war, is very much a hawk when it comes to funding (and potentially securing) US strategic military needs.

In fact, the US apparently has its first leader who now seems prepared to take on directly Chinese trade practices; a trading system that has for decades been allowed by previous administrations to go under the radar. Further, a President who appears much more comfortable with Bi - Tri trade agreements, rather than larger regional approaches.

In other words, we all got a personality who has now helped throw into chaos traditional, Laissez-faire free trade practices. A trading situation that much of the West has been relatively comfortable with for decades. However, a complex system that also necessitated the purposeful ignoring of countries who exploited such trade for their own benefit. In particular, purposeful ignoring by big business and financiers as long as their profit margins benefited, and politicians who loved those lobbyists.

Remember that Chaos Theory could not care less whether one agrees with the triggers for system change, it simply deals with process and outcomes. So, regardless of support for or against, we recognize that the Trump initiated tariff issues with China clearly put the ‘cat amongst the pigeons;’ including for critical metals, particularly, RE.

In fact, as RE investors we should recognize that this is the type of Black Swan event that has really helped move us on from the stagnant malaise that engulfed the RE sector for much of this decade. I think it has caught many by surprise; for RE investors generally a happy surprise. However, the question remains as to how chaotic events will further unfold, and what shape will these future surprises take within the RE sector?

As the easiest and clearest example of chaos influencing a specific RE company, we need look no farther than Australia's (AUS) Lynas. A company that was dying after the 2010 -11 events yet has since re-emerged with even stronger financial backing and production credibility. Lynas is a company that now appears to have mainly overcome its hurdles within Malaysia (in part, due to some Malaysian politicians themselves reading the chaos tea leaves regarding future Asian investment and centrality within the RE sector). Further, Lynas’ new goal of building a cleaning process in AUS (which may later also lead to AUS based processing) was forced in large part by the chaotic process that involved the Malaysian administration's own internal political battles, coupled with the Wesfarmers 'left field' buyout insertion.

Further, we now have in AUS a country itself that has in the last 12 months started to highlight its own philosophical turmoil over the traditional policy re., metals. Specifically, trying to mesh the idea of having big holes dug in its ground while 'others' seemingly benefit from the more lucrative processes that use this raw material further down the critical metals value chain. Hence, such economic and philosophical angst now seems to have spirited at least an initial welcome back for Lynas, along with an increasing interest in Northern Minerals HRE and several other RE companies waiting in the wings).

Also, Lynas may have benefited from the 2018-19 RFI’s issued by the United States Dept' of Defense, which potentially stimulated their Lynas/Blue Line association. Again, an administrative event impacting company direction which has emerged from a chaotic environment directly created by an individual reaction towards what is perceived as unfair trade practices. Couple all this with Trump's hawkish support for both military funding and potential strategic security and you have events to the present.

Clearly, momentum has occurred in particular over the last 12 months within the RE sector. The question for investors, therefore, is do we really think that all this would have happened (or, would have been allowed to happen by vested interests, globally) without the chaos of 2018-19 and the actions of strategically placed individuals?

And it goes on…

Related to the trade issue dispute between the US and China we now have the apparent movement of a number of tech firms etc out of China and into other parts of Asia. These moves media suggest are for the specific intent of diversifying production (and potentially material supply), away from centralized control by one nation. Again, we are seeing the elements of Chaos Theory re., complex systems, sensitivity, small changes and unintended consequences emerging. Will these present (and future) events lead to more pleasant surprises that weary RE investors have long been awaiting? Or will such hopes be derailed by yet to occur Black Swans? It seems that the next 12 – 18 months will show us more clearly as events unfold.

No doubt both the run-up to and the outcome of the US election in 2020 will bring even further chaotic consequences, regardless of the decision.

However, we still have further two present events to consider in our chaos and RE analysis. We will leave the trade dispute between South Korea and Japan and the 'idea' that Greenland is in some fashion potentially in play (for the superpowers) for another discussion.

Hong Kong (HK) is a smoldering timebomb! What began as a response to a threaten extradition bill has now seemingly grown into a defense of perceived remaining democratic policies in HK. The catalyst here is clearly if China moves to crack down on this populace movement; Tiananmen square? Nearly 20% of the HK population have been out demonstrating and the area is literally a phone booth in size should the Chinese send forces in. The young HK's have months of mixing it up with a police force that has shown some restraint. How will they react then with a militarized force charged with the direction to put down unrest as an example for all Chinese watching? from What actions would such an event trigger from Trump, the European Union (EU), Japan, Australasia, etc? Doubtful military, but significant trade, banking, energy and political moves are possible. How would such ‘complexity’ look globally? What would it mean for trade and alliances? What compounding effect might it have on the 'defense' of the present and new critical metals value chains?

Brexit, oh yes Brexit. Some would describe this as the biggest political and economic mess the United Kingdom (UK) has gotten itself into since…? (note - I would not try to compare the memory of catastrophic war conflicts with this present issue, despite its gravity). However, we now have British politicians who have decided to basically cause a UK version of a ‘constitutional’ crisis, by refusing to follow the mandate of the people (regardless of how small) to leave the EU.

In fact, we have a UK government (internally in revolt) that has been denied the right to call a general election by an opposition party, which has been calling for such an election for nearly 2 years, but now apparently does not want to ‘risk’ such a political move. Couple this with an EU that has refused to negotiate any further with the UK on a ‘peaceful’ exit, thereby, impacting British sovereignty. A stalemate that some have suggested may only be broken (if even possible) by the intervention of the monarchy.

Thus, do we have a type of UK constitutional crisis or will Boris J’ come out of left field with a move to still force Brexit, or some other related act? Remember that Trump is in the wings with apparently an immediate US and UK trade deal on offer, and obviously he has no love for the EU approach to trade etc. What does all this mean for not just the UK, but also the EU? Do UK Brexit events and actions influence other EU perceptions with e.g., Greece, Spain, Italy etc? Again, Chaos Theory - small alterations can give rise to unintended consequences...and not always pleasant surprises."

From the RE sector perspective the EU seems presently focused on alternative extraction and recycling moves. Further, it has also touted funding now available for metals exploration companies etc., involved in Africa, as an alternative to Chinese money. However, chaotic conditions make cooperation over business enterprises between countries even within a union more problematic. Creating value chains between nations is no small endeavor. Therefore, will the RE value chain that maybe built in the US, also be designed to take care of allies elsewhere? Or, likewise, will the discussions between the US and AUS over RE needs also include potential moves to supply ‘friends’ (e.g., EU, Taiwan, India, N. Zealand, S. Korea, S. Asia, even Japan etc)? Again, Chinese trade, Hong Kong and Brexit etc., will all impact RE sector decisions down under; chaotic events that are already underway, but with potentially much more impact yet to come.

Consequently, talk on the Rare Earths Investor Forum about potential upcoming Black Swan events should recognize that, in fact, they have already begun and have the potential to greatly intensify. Again, US China trade, Hong Kong and Brexit are examples of issues that could further impact global events and trigger, as yet, more unseen surprises for critical metals (and investors). Such impacts would include serious influence on – RE exploration (e.g., where - N and S. America, Africa, AUS etc), raw material production (e.g., where – US, EU, S. Asia, AUS etc, - financing, extraction methods, production, etc) and processing (where – US, EU, S. Asia AUS, etc., - types, production, closed-loop, supply to whom - military, commercial, etc).

Again, regarding chaos which we are clearly in, when complexity infuses a global economic system look for any small concrete challenges/changes to give rise to both intended and unintended consequences. We may not agree with who or what initiates such changes, but we would be foolhardy as investors to ignore these; especially, if such chaos continues to lead to more positive RE sector adjustments.

Please feel free to add to the discussion on social media or go to the Rare Earths Investor Forum to comment. I have purposely (excluding Lynas, which was used to highlight chaos impacts in concrete terms) avoided discussing RE companies that might benefit from this environment. Feel free to mention your company ideas.

 https://rareearthsinvestor.com/re-blog/f/chaos-and-the-rare-earths-sector

[squashsite]

And that was 2018 ...

A quick look back at the last twelve months of squash, from Birmingham in January to Cairo in December ...

JANUARY

The year started, as usual, with the British Junior Open, but this time in Birmingham and with Under 11s for the first time, and it was the Malaysian Girls who stole the show as they claimed four of the five available titles.

History was made in Saudi Arabia with the first women's professional sporting event - a World Series at that - as Nour El Sherbini beat Raneem El Welily in the start of a year-long rivalry.

Sherbini repeated the trick in New York's ToC, this time beating Nour El Tayeb in the final, while Simon Rosner claimed his first World Series title.

There was an Egyptian winner in Scotland too, where Nadine Shahin and home favourite Greg Lobban claimed the Edinburgh SC Open titles.

FEBRUARY:

The Egyptian train rolled into Sweden as Ali Farag won in Linkoping, but in equally cold Canada it was Max Lee who got to don the famous Canada Cup gown.

Nick Matthew concluded his British Nationals career (unless he enters the Masters?) with a 10th title, but it was a first for Welsh Wizard Tesni Evans as she raced through a strong field.

What month would be complete without an Egyptian double - it was Mohamed ElShobagy and Nour El Tayeb who took the wind out of their competitors' sails in Chicago.

MARCH:

The ever-popular Canary Wharf Classic trialled best-of-three for the early matches, the sellout crowds seemed to enjoy it but the reaction from some of the players was mixed, champion Mohamed ElShorbagy included.

It was best of five in Zurich where Ramy Ashour was in sparkling form, taking our Rosner, Gaultier and MoElShorbagy, all in straight games, to claim the Grasshopper Cup. Sadly Ramy would play just one more match this year.

In Wimbledon France's Mathieu Castagnet claimed his first title since 2016, taking out a trio of Englishmen in the process.

England and France shared the honours in the Euro U19s in Poland as Victor Crouin ended his junior career with a repeat win and Lucy Turmel claimed the Girls' title. Viktor Byrtus's semi-final celebration was a highlight!

APRIL:

The Commonwealth Games in Australia dominated the first half of the month, and it was New Zealand who topped the squash medal table as Joelle King won singles and doubles Gold. England kept their grip on the men's title, but this time it was James Willstrop's turn to win after settling for Silver in the previous two editions.

Hosts Australia claimed men's and mixed doubles Gold.

The seventh edition of the El Gouna International produced another Egyptian double, Raneem El Welily getting the better of Nour El Sherbini and Marwan Elshorbagy taking out Karim Abdel Gawad, his elder brother, and Ali Farag on his way to claiming a first World Series title.

Rounding out the month, Edmon Lopez collected the winner's cheque in Switzerland's Sekiusui Open, and Ukraine (W) and Sweden (M) won the Euro Div 3 team titles in Latvia.

MAY:

The Euro Teams continued with the Div 1 and 2 champs in Poland where France and England met in both finals, and they again shared the Men's and Women's titles.

In Cardiff Richie Fallows dashed home hopes in the final of the resurrected Welsh Open, while over in Germany Paderborn produced another Bundesliga double.

The British Open returned to Hull, where Nour El Sherbini won the latest round of her battle with Raneem El Welily and Miguel Rodriguez took out a host of top seeds, beating MoElShorbagy in a compelling marathon final for his first World Series final.

Back on the League scene it was St George's turn at last as they edged past Tradition@RAC in a home PSL final.

JUNE:

The season was winding down now, so it was time for the end of season World Series Finals in Dubai where Nick Matthew - reprieved after thinking he'd finished in Hull - made an emotional last PSA outing.

The event finished with an Egyptian double, Nour El Sherbini and Mohamed ElShorbagy underlining their top of the world spots.

British Champion Tesni Evans turned her hand to tournament promotion, and it was Lisa Aitken who claimed the inaugural Bangor Classic title.

JULY:

This was the time for the Youngsters and Oldies. In Chennai Rowan El Araby retained her World Junior title in a repeat final against Hania El Hammamy, and Mostafa Asal dethroned Marwan Tarek to become Boys' champion. The Egyptian boys strolled through the tournament to regain the team title.

Starting on the day of the junior team finals over in the States, 19 World Masters Champions were crowned in Charlottesville, 14 of them top seeds with Australia and England taking 11 between them.

AUGUST:

Regional Championships month, resuming with the Asian Games in Jakarta, where Nicol David claimed her 5th Gold medal, on her birthday, no less, and Leo Au won an all-Hong Kong men's final against Max Lee.

Hong Kong's women claimed the team title, but there was no clean sweep as Leo and Max both lost against Malaysia in the men's team final.

The Pan American Championships hit the Caribbean for the first time, and it was top seeds Diego Elias and Amanda Sobhy who won the individual titles (Sobhy's third) in the Cayman Islands.

Amanda, having beaten younger sister Sabrina in the final, went on to claim a golden hat-trick as she and 'Beans' wrapped up the doubles and team titles, while Mexico's men took the team title along with the men’s doubles. Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez and Catalina Pelaez were mixed champions.

Over in Austria it was Borja Golan and Millie Tomlinson who became European Individual Champions.

On the PSA front, qualifying was abolished and the new 24 and 48 player draws came into force.

SEPTEMBER:

The season swings into gear in spectacular fashion in the Nantes International as Declan James and Nele Gilis beat top seeds James Willstrop and Emily Whitlock in two five game finals in the opera house.

It's an Egyptian double for Mohamed Abouelghar and Raneem El Welily in China, while the World Universities in Birmingham produces an English double for Josh Masters and Lily Taylor.

No surprise as Egypt retain the Women's World Teams title in China, while Hong Kong Football Club it's a home double for top seeds Max Lee and Annie Au.

Edgbaston retain their European Club Champs crown in Eindhoven, where Paderborn reclaim the men's crown, while Pakistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and hosts India share the Asian Junior Champs titles.

Finishing as it started, the top seeds are beaten in both San Francisco finals where Sarah-Jane Perry and Ali Farag take the spoils.

OCTOBER:

The first World Series - now termed Platinum - event of the season saw world champs Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily win in Philadelphia, but there was an early exit for Mohamed in St George's where Tarek Momen prevailed in the Channel VAS Champs to claim his biggest title yet.

Over the pond Nour El Tayeb became Carol Weymuller champion.

Egyptian domination of the month continued in Qatar where Ali Farag won his first Qatar Classic title, in the process qualifying for the renamed and revamped end of season World Tour Finals.

NOVEMBER:

A quiet opening to the month with a host of smaller events before attention turned to Hong Kong once more where Mohamed ElShorbagy shrugged off recent woes to claim a fourth Hong Kong Open title in five years.

In the women's event Sarah-Jane Perry dethroned Nour El Sherbini, which meant Raneem El Welily would become world #1 despite losing out to Joelle King in the final as the Kiwi won her first Platinum title.

The resurrected Pakistan Open in Karachi saw Karim Abdel Gawad and Yathreb Adel claim an Egyptian double.

DECEMBER:

Laura Massaro claims her third Monte Carlo Classic title, and the last major event of the year is the inaugural CIB Black Ball Open.

The new club in Cairo produced a quality Platinum event and spectacular squash. Karim Abdel Gawad found his best form as, playing his third tournament in a row, he took out the top three seeds to become the first Black Ball champion.

A quiet end to the year with a few small events, the last word going to Scotland's Lisa Aitken who won twice in a week to claim titles in Italy and Finland.

And that was 2018 ................

The 2018 Calendar has links to all these events, and more