#concur implementation

[travel-spend-management]

FinTrans Solutions | SAP Partner

FinTrans Solutions, the premier cloud and digital consulting company, is  proudly recognised to be a certified SAP Concur Implementation Partner (CIP). Delivering comprehensive Concur cloud deployment services is our area of expertise as pioneers in Intelligent Spend Management Process Transformation. Our dedication has gone beyond national boundaries as the first SAP Concur CIP partner in Asia, with a strong CIP Coverage that covers 95% of all SAP-authorized international service markets. Concur Platform Expertise Level: Take advantage of our extensive hands-on Concur knowledge, a vast talent pool of Concur CIP-certified capabilities, and our remarkable track record of customer success. With some of the most seasoned certified Concur Implementation specialists in the T&E and P2P area on our team, you can be sure that your transformation and deployment initiatives are in capable hands.

[mariacallous]

Fable, a popular social media app that describes itself as a haven for “bookworms and bingewatchers,” created an AI-powered end-of-year summary feature recapping what books users read in 2024. It was meant to be playful and fun, but some of the recaps took on an oddly combative tone. Writer Danny Groves’ summary for example, asked if he’s “ever in the mood for a straight, cis white man’s perspective” after labeling him a “diversity devotee.”

Books influencer Tiana Trammell’s summary, meanwhile, ended with the following advice: “Don’t forget to surface for the occasional white author, okay?”

Trammell was flabbergasted, and she soon realized she wasn’t alone after sharing her experience with Fable’s summaries on Threads. “I received multiple messages,” she says, from people whose summaries had inappropriately commented on “disability and sexual orientation.”

Ever since the debut of Spotify Wrapped, annual recap features have become ubiquitous across the internet, providing users a rundown of how many books and news articles they read, songs they listened to, and workouts they completed. Some companies are now using AI to wholly produce or augment how these metrics are presented. Spotify, for example, now offers an AI-generated podcast where robots analyze your listening history and make guesses about your life based on your tastes. Fable hopped on the trend by using OpenAI’s API to generate summaries of the past 12 months of the reading habits for its users, but it didn’t expect that the AI model would spit out commentary that took on the mien of an anti-woke pundit.

Fable later apologized on several social media channels, including Threads and Instagram, where it posted a video of an executive issuing the mea culpa. “We are deeply sorry for the hurt caused by some of our Reader Summaries this week,” the company wrote in the caption. “We will do better.”

Kimberly Marsh Allee, Fable’s head of community, told WIRED before publication that the company was working on a series of changes to improve its AI summaries, including an opt-out option for people who don’t want them and clearer disclosures indicating that they’re AI-generated. “For the time being, we have removed the part of the model that playfully roasts the reader, and instead the model simply summarizes the user’s taste in books,” she said.

After publication, Marsh Allee said that Fable had instead made the decision to immediately remove the AI-generated 2024 reading summaries, as well as two other features that used AI.

For some users, adjusting the AI does not feel like an adequate response. Fantasy and romance writer A.R. Kaufer was aghast when she saw screenshots of some of the summaries on social media. “They need to say they are doing away with the AI completely. And they need to issue a statement, not only about the AI, but with an apology to those affected,” says Kaufer. “This ‘apology’ on Threads comes across as insincere, mentioning the app is ‘playful’ as though it somehow excuses the racist/sexist/ableist quotes.” In response to the incident, Kaufer decided to delete her Fable account.

So did Trammell. “The appropriate course of action would be to disable the feature and conduct rigorous internal testing, incorporating newly implemented safeguards to ensure, to the best of their abilities, that no further platform users are exposed to harm,” she says.

Groves concurs. “If individualized reader summaries aren't sustainable because the team is small, I'd rather be without them than confronted with unchecked AI outputs that might offend with testy language or slurs,” he says. “That's my two cents … assuming Fable is in the mood for a gay, cis Black man's perspective.”

Generative AI tools already have a lengthy track record of race-related misfires. In 2022, researchers found that OpenAI’s image generator Dall-E had a bad habit of showing nonwhite people when asked to depict “prisoners” and all white people when it showed “CEOs.” Last fall, WIRED reported that a variety of AI search engines surfaced debunked and racist theories about how white people are genetically superior to other races.

Overcorrecting has sometimes become an issue, too: Google’s Gemini was roundly criticized last year when it repeatedly depicted World War II–era Nazis as people of color in a misguided bid for inclusivity. “When I saw confirmation that it was generative AI making those summaries, I wasn't surprised,” Groves says. “These algorithms are built by programmers who live in a biased society, so of course the machine learning will carry the biases, too—whether conscious or unconscious.”

[vindicated-truth]

(This was originally written as a response to this incredible post, which I also highly recommend reading as well as it sets up everything I'll further expound on below)

I concur with everything said above, and to further illustrate the point: it isn’t only with how Dongsik and Joowon are with other people, but how they implement their actions as well that resembles how starkly different they are—in a way that’s also remarkably complementary.

Dongsik’s actions in the entire story are mostly reactive. There’s a point in the story where he was about to storm out to save Jaeyi unthinkingly, and Joowon grabs him, even handcuffs Dongsik to him, fiercely telling him, “Stop storming out without thinking things through!” And Dongsik’s reaction was to punch him.

This scene illustrates more than anything the perfect example of their differences: everything Dongsik does is always in the heat of the moment, an emotional reaction to what is happening.

Everything he did with Kang Minjeong’s fingers is a primary example. The horrifying discovery that the person he treated as his pseudo-brother all these years is in fact the real serial killer, while reeling at the fresh, gut-wrenching memory of how he failed to save his partner, the turmoil of emotions led him to do everything that followed after the discovery of Minjeong’s fingers and the very likely probability that her own father had killed her.

Contrast that to everything Joowon did: regardless of the morality of it (because the truth is none of what Joowon or even Dongsik did was completely moral), Joowon meticulously planned everything. From Lee Geumhwa’s sting operation, to planting the evidence in Nam Sangbae’s vault and then later on planting a GPS tracker on him, to investigating Cho Gilgu, to the revelation of Jung Cheolmun’s bribes and Joowon’s own subsequent arrest at the Commisioner General hearing, to the car chases involving Lee Changjin and Han Kihwan and how Joowon had already anticipated their meeting by planting a recording device on his own father’s car, to saving Jeongje from the mental institution, to making sure they have enough evidence gathered from Lee Changjin’s and Do Haewon’s testimonies before he released the recording to the public, ensuring that all of them will be indicted—

All of these were logically, meticulously, well thought-out.

This is Joowon’s strength in their partnership: he’s the planner, as well as the calm executioner of those plans.

And where does Dongsik’s strength lie?

His strength lies in how incredibly, strongly emotional he is. Where he lacks the calm rationality Joowon possesses, he more than makes up for it with his emotional intelligence, because it’s precisely because his empath levels are through the roof that he knows exactly how people would also react—

Which meant he also knew exactly which buttons to push to finally get them to do what he wants.

Between the two of them, it’s actually Dongsik who’s more frightening. Because Dongsik’s strength had always been how he treats people—his almost instinctive understanding of human nature. He knows exactly how to care for them.

And he knows exactly how to break them.

This was demonstrated so eerily, so frighteningly, with how he knew exactly how to break Jeongje, and later on Do Haewon herself, with how he cruelly revealed that Jeongje had vowed to slit his own throat if his own mother wouldn’t own up to her own sins and reveal the truth. Even early on, with Kang Jinmook, Dongsik knew exactly how to push his buttons by bringing up Yoon Mihye.

(At some point, he had also tried his very best to break Nam Sangbae too, when he showed up to his interrogation right after Dongsik found Yuyeon's body. This, more than anything, might have also what pushed Sangbae to do everything he did afterward that led to his eventual death.)

And finally: he knew exactly how to break Lee Changjin, by following through with his earlier threat of (very nearly) killing him.

Where Han Joowon lacked in his understanding of people and relationships and the maelstrom of emotions that come with it, Dongsik knew exactly how to make use of all of it. To love people, to save people—and when the situation warranted it—to break them.

In this partnership, Joowon is the mind: he knows exactly how to outsmart you.

And Dongsik is the heart: he knows exactly how to save you—or break you.

[beardedmrbean]

The US Supreme Court unanimously upheld a law Friday that would force TikTok’s sale from a Chinese state-owned firm, even as President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have sought to block the divestment.

The nine justices ordered the qualified divestment by Jan. 19 of the California-based social media platform from Beijing-based ByteDance.

“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” read the key portion of the unsigned opinion.

“But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,” the court said.

“For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”

Liberal Sonia Sotomayor and conservative Neil Gorsuch filed separate concurring opinions, with Gorsuch writing: “Without doubt, the remedy Congress and the President chose here is dramatic.

“The law may require TikTok’s parent company to divest or (effectively) shutter its U. S. [sic] operations. But before seeking to impose that remedy, the coordinate branches spent years in negotiations with TikTok exploring alternatives and ultimately found them wanting.”

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar had argued before the court last week that the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act was necessary and that Americans’ free speech could be “unrestricted once TikTok is freed from foreign adversary control.”

The justices agreed, with Gorsuch concluding his concurrence by writing: “Speaking with and in favor of a foreign adversary is one thing. Allowing a foreign adversary to spy on Americans is another.”

Congress passed the legislation last April and it was signed into law by Biden, 82, but the retiring commander-in-chief is not expected to enforce it in the final three days of his administration.

Instead, Biden will defer the decision to Trump, 78, when he returns to the White House on Monday.

“President Biden’s position on TikTok has been clear for months, including since Congress sent a bill in overwhelming, bipartisan fashion to the President’s desk: TikTok should remain available to Americans, but simply under American ownership or other ownership that addresses the national security concerns identified by Congress in developing this law,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. 

“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday.”

Instead, Biden will defer the decision to Trump, 78, when he returns to the White House on Monday, a US official told the Associated Press on Thursday.

“It ultimately goes up to me, so you’re going to see what I’m going to do,” Trump told CNN anchor Pamela Brown in a phone call after the decision. “Congress has given me the decision, so I’ll be making the decision,” he claimed.

The president can order the Justice Department not to enforce the law for a period of time, or can suspend the divest or ban mandate taking effect for 90 days to allow negotiation with a US-based buyer.

“The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it,” the president-elect added on Truth Social late Friday morning. “My decision on TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”

Under the law, the president can order the Justice Department not to enforce the law for a period of time, or can suspend the divest or ban mandate taking effect for 90 days to allow negotiation with a US-based buyer.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is planning to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Monday — and the incoming president announced minutes before Friday’s decision that he had discussed the social media app with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China,” Trump posted on his Truth Social a little before 9:30 a.m. ET. “The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately.”

“We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” he said.

In a Friday floor speech, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said: “Everyone — the Biden administration, the incoming Trump administration even the Supreme Court — should continue working … to find an American buyer for TikTok, so we can both free the app from any influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party and keep TikTok going, which will preserve the jobs of millions of creators.”

[foibles-fables]

I've been following you for the Horizon content, and it's been very fun to see it. And I've recently finished HFW, and honestly... I can't help but feel underwhelmed and disappointed with the story.

I loved the world building, character interactions and themes in general, as I truly felt involved with HFW, but like... I just can't bother to like, care, or feel involved with the Zenith storyline.

They were supposed to be the main force to drive the story to the final game... and yet, they had so little screen time on a very impressive world, Beta ended up playing a minor role compared to the whole world and had a sudden change on trusting Aloy after just seeing Rost, and Tilda played a huge exposition role, shoehorning all depth of them in the last hours, which I found to be rather overwhelming and even easy to forget after Varl died on GEMINI.

And the final mission just didn't do much to make them compelling. Like... as I was charging through the base and hearing them ramble about their superiority, Zo killed the sadist idiot, Tilda suddenly revealing Nemesis, and the final monologue from Aloy... I was just reactionless, because I didn't feel any sort of involvement with that storyline to make me hyped.

It felt like I was fighting an enemy just for the sake of fighting it. Which is something I didn't feel with Helis and the Eclipse on my first playthrough of HZD.

I really wanted to love HFW and be excited for Aloy's follow-up adventure... but I guess I just can't with this.

I know I'm rambling and complaining a lot, but as a huge fan of Aloy and Horizon (in general), I can't help but point this out to someone.

You might be surprised to hear that many share your reservations about the narrative of HFW, myself very much included.

Over two years later it's still kind of shocking how much the story--including the implementation of the Zeniths--hamstrung what HZD had naturally built HFW to address. Sometimes it feels like the team forgot how to pace? Bringing back GAIA in the first act was...a true ??? to me. The turning point of Aloy and Beta's relationship was, IMO, incredibly unearned, and I concur entirely about both Varl (as well as the player reaction to it, filtered through Aloy's reaction) and the final mission/fight.

I also know that others feel that Tilda's Nemesis reveal kind of stole the fun out of speculation for H3. With where HFW (and BS, re: Londra's data and other threads) left the story, I'm finding myself just not inclined or enthusiastic to think in-depth about what could plausibly be coming next, beyond what actually bridges back to HZD (Elysium and VAST SILVER, namely). HFW itself left no new mysteries to carry forward.

Consider, however, if the Zeniths and Beta had been saved for the final chapter. That, IMO, would have made for a much more compelling hook into H3. Reveal them in a post-credits stinger after Aloy succeeds at stabilizing the biosphere and finally restoring GAIA as an endgame task. Instead of some...questionably-motived space spaghetti Bigger Fish, we'd have an actual full-circle existential threat.

It really seems like a compelling storyline for HFW and beyond was spelled out right there in GAIA's dying plea from HZD, and then just...sidestepped into what we actually received.

This is all to say, nonny, you're absolutely not alone and I think many folks who were head over heels for HZD were underwhelmed by what was presented in HFW. Like you, I still adore the world and the characters--but there was a lot that very disappointingly fell flat otherwise. Here's hoping it was just a sophomore slump, second-installment weirdness, and H3 falls back into the stride that the first installment set up.

[kafus]

i wish colosseum was properly discussed outside of "lol modern pokemon sucks, the old animations in this gamecube game looked so much better!!" because for one, colosseum has wayyyyy more interesting stuff about it to discuss than its animations, and two the people using it as some sort of weird gotcha about not liking modern pokemon animations is really funny because like, colosseum reuses animations too. all of the gen 1-2 pokemon models are just ported over from the stadium games. and videos that show off the good animations leave out all the really awkward ones, as well as the often lackluster move effects. it doesn't even work properly as a comparison if you don't cherrypick examples. i will concur that most of the gen 3 pokemon look great since they were made new for gamecube, but honestly whether good or bad i think most people would hate if colo-styled animations were implemented into the modern pokemon games because of how slow they are. people would just start complaining about how long move animations take causing massive battle slowdown. like yeah the fainting animations are long and expressive but at what cost. think abt what ur saying

[newlyfaithfulhumanity]

Mission and Planetary Initiatives

The Sovrnty Foundation Mission and Initiatives

Individual Personality Soul Advancement towards Light and Life by the Power of God's Love.

To reveal the cosmic realities, mind meanings, spirit values, and infinite vision for all human lives.

To show how all of these divine ministrations, personal or otherwise, are divinely coordinated.

To heal the conceptual poverty associated with so much ideational confusion.

To present enlarged concepts and advanced truth, to expand cosmic consciousness and to enhance spiritual perception.

This is the further bestowal mission of the United Ministry of Paradise Sons, Uversa Personalities, and Universe Sons and Daughters of Nebadon in the implementation of the Divine Plan of Progressive Ascendancy and Spiritual Perfection. 

This divine plan of perfection attainment embraces three unique, though marvelously correlated, enterprises of universal adventure:

1. The Plan of Progressive Attainment. This is the Universal Father’s plan of evolutionary ascension, a program unreservedly accepted by the Eternal Son when he concurred in the Father’s proposal, “Let us make mortal creatures in our own image.” This provision for upstepping the creatures of time involves the Father’s bestowal of the Thought Adjusters and the endowing of material creatures with the prerogatives of personality.

2. The Bestowal Plan. The next universal plan is the great Father-revelation enterprise of the Eternal Son and his co-ordinate Sons. This is the proposal of the Eternal Son and consists of his bestowal of the Sons of God upon the evolutionary creations, there to personalize and factualize, to incarnate and make real, the love of the Father and the mercy of the Son to the creatures of all universes. Inherent in the bestowal plan, and as a provisional feature of this ministration of love, the Paradise Sons act as rehabilitators of that which misguided creature will has placed in spiritual jeopardy. Whenever and wherever there occurs a delay in the functioning of the attainment plan, if rebellion, perchance, should mar or complicate this enterprise, then do the emergency provisions of the bestowal plan become active forthwith. The Paradise Sons stand pledged and ready to function as retrievers, to go into the very realms of rebellion and there restore the spiritual status of the spheres. And such a heroic service a co-ordinate Creator Son did perform on Urantia in connection with his experiential bestowal career of sovereignty acquirement.

3. The Plan of Mercy Ministry. When the attainment plan and the bestowal plan had been formulated and proclaimed, alone and of himself, the Infinite Spirit projected and put in operation the tremendous and universal enterprise of mercy ministry. This is the service so essential to the practical and effective operation of both the attainment and the bestowal undertakings, and the spiritual personalities of the Third Source and Center all partake of the spirit of mercy ministry which is so much a part of the nature of the Third Person of Deity. Not only in creation but also in administration, the Infinite Spirit functions truly and literally as the conjoint executive of the Father and the Son.

The Eternal Son is the personal trustee, the divine custodian, of the Father’s universal plan of creature ascension. Having promulgated the universal mandate, “Be you perfect, even as I am perfect,” the Father entrusted the execution of this tremendous undertaking to the Eternal Son; and the Eternal Son shares the fostering of this supernal enterprise with his divine co-ordinate, the Infinite Spirit. Thus do the Deities effectively co-operate in the work of creation, control, evolution, revelation, and ministration—and if required, in restoration and rehabilitation. The Sovrnty Foundation

[disast3rtransp0rt]

So I saw THIS POST today and was surprised by my somewhat visceral reaction. Not because I disagree (OP and the reply both make incredible points that I concur with wholeheartedly) but because the idea that fandoms should reject the idea of widely recognizing ANY singular fic feels wrong.

While I very much dislike the implementation of what are essentially Rosetta Stone characterizations that everyone else must adhere to or die, there IS something to be said about community-recognized crack fics.

If you were on the internet throughout the early 2010's then you've probably heard about "The Hogwarts School of Prayer and Miracles", "Cupcakes" (as attributed to Sergeant Sprinkles), "The Skin Fic", or the "Worm Fic" (may it rest in WattPeace) and of COURSE the all-time champion of wild fics: "My Immortal".

While you shouldn't use any singular fanfic as the basis for your entire interpretation of a fandom, definitely seek out the weirdest shit you can find and share it with your friends. Or do me one better and write the weird shit yourself!

[labbaik-ya-hussain-as]

𝐀 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦: 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝

The Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres, has, once again, issued a humanitarian plea for an absolute ceasefire to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza of unarmed civilians, mostly children, men and women.

I posit that the proposal should entail the President of the Security Council, currently José Javier de la Gasca Domez Dominguez, representing Ecuador, implementing Articles 39 through 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Further, after thorough reading of the entire Charter, a critical point emerges.

The United Nations comprises 193 members out of the 197 states it recognizes.

Yet, its Security Council consists of only 15 members, including 5 permanent members.

According to Article 27-3, decisions on behalf of the Security Council require an affirmative vote from nine members, or 60%, inclusive of the concurring votes of all 5 permanent members.

This structure necessitates reform.

In 1945, when the United Nations Charter was adopted, the global landscape was markedly different, with the gradual decline of the British Empire and the rise of the United States of North America as the economic and cultural epicenter.

However, from its inception, the Security Council has presented a glaring contradiction to the UN Charter.

This contradiction is more apparent today: the concept of a Security Council fundamentally contradicts the principles enshrined in the UN Charter.

To illustrate, let me cite from the Charter’s Preamble: "𝙒𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙋𝙀𝙊𝙋𝙇𝙀𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙐𝙉𝙄𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙀𝘿 [...] 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 [...]."

Furthermore, Article 2, principle number 1, states, "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨."

The idea of permanent Security Council members or a Security Council itself implies that the interests of five nations outweigh those of the other 188.

For genuine international conflict resolution, a new paradigm is necessary: every nation must be represented equally and have equal voting rights.

The requirement for a 60% affirmative vote to make decisions on behalf of the General Assembly, ensuring the support of 116 nations, aligns more closely with the ideals of the 21st century, a time anticipated to be an era of enhanced mutual respect, understanding, and progress for all.

[pcsasg]

Is social media useful in spreading information on covid-19 in Malaysia or your country? What is your opinion?

Gif from giphy

Hi there! This week’s blog is about public health and we will dive a little about the coronavirus disease, also known as covid-19 and in days gone by, named 2019 novel coronavirus. Coronavirus was first spotted at one of open air “wet market” in Wuhan, China. Afterwards, during that time, there was an assumption that there might a coronavirus originated in one of lab in China as a biological weapon. However, the newest reports concur that the coronavirus is not an engineered virus being developed to become a biological weapon.

What is social media role during coronavirus issue?

According to (Abbas et al., 2021), people usage time on social media is higher than usual during COVID-19 pandemic period since social media is the only platform where people can search for health information for their own and their loved one’s benefits. Due to global crisis and health disaster during the pandemic, social medias have become the most welcome relief for people.

(Abbas et al., 2021) also stated, typically, users will create or share about health information that already available via local or international sources as their response to an international public health issue.

As social media platforms can bring impacts to people, people also need someone who can share their own life experience or their knowledge about health issue and shared their experience or knowledge about health information. This method called peer support. The peer support concept on social media is referring to health information that will help people to know more about Covid-19 pandemic issue. People will be searching for health-related news regarding to Covid-19 pandemic in their social media account, for example the most common one is Facebook. Since Covid-19 pandemic brought “culture shock” to the world, people will be searching for the detailed health-related update and stay keep in touch with family, friends and peers. Public communication and interaction searching for accurate information and opportunity of Covid-19 to create proper virus prevention on social media. Since social media provides the latest news and trustable information to the world, social media have become the central role in answering in global health crisis issue.

Gif from giphy

Social media and electronic government (E-government) role during Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia

Image from YouTube

First Covid-19 case detected in Malaysia after three individuals had a close contact with one individual in Singapore. They had their trip into Malaysia from Singapore on January 24th 2020 and tested positive on January 25th 2020. After that, on the February 4th 2020, the very first Malaysian was tested positive Covid-19 after he returned from Singapore and started to cough and had fever.

During the pandemic time, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia take advantages of social media to educate and spread the awareness to the public about the Covid-19 precautions. On 18th March 2020 until 18th April 2020, the Malaysia Government implemented Movement Control Order (MCO) to control the Covid-19 from widespread.

During the entire period of Covid-19, social media accounts for example like X (previously known as Twitter) and WeChat were used to share the updates about preventive measure and healthcare. After Tan Sri Muhyiddin implemented MCO, the media started to actively using the #stayhome hashtag to spread the awareness. The government of Malaysia come up with enough latest information to the public via the Official Portal of the Ministry of Health Malaysia, verified Facebook page named Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia posted about the Crisis Preparedness and Response Center (CRPC) and Telegram channel named CPRC KKM.

The Malaysia government also launched one application that can only used on mobile named MySejahtera in April 20202 to help all the users to keep track of their health progress, helping the authorities to collect the latest information, check in location and come up with the most essential and fast reply.

Screenchot of CPRC KKM telegram page

Screenshot of KKM Facebook page

Now, if you ask me, i would definitely say yes. I do agree that social media is useful in spreading information on Covid-19 because through social media is the way that Ministry of Health Malaysia can reach out to the people since gathering is not allowed during the MCO period. People will depend on social media to stay connected with their family or friend and also to get the latest update regarding to health issues.

Image from Facebook

References

Brennan, D. (2022) Coronavirus history: How did coronavirus start?Dan, WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/covid/coronavirus-history (Accessed: 01 November 2023).

Abbas, J. et al. (2021) Social media technology during COVID-19: RMHP, Risk Management and Healthcare Policy. Available at: https://www.dovepress.com/the-role-of-social-media-in-the-advent-of-covid-19-pandemic-crisis-man-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-

Elengoe, A. (2020, June). Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia. Osong public health and research perspectives. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7258884/#:~:text=On%20the%2025th%20January,the%2024th%20January%202020.

Ahamd, N. S., Zulkifli Hussain, Abd Hamid, H. S., & Khairani, A. Z. (2021, July 10). Roles of social media and counselling support in reducing anxiety among Malaysian during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420921004179

Kahe. (2021, May 4). Important role of social media during pandemic disaster. Karpagam Academy of Higher Education. https://kahedu.edu.in/important-role-of-social-media-during-pandemic-disaster/

Md Shah, A. U., Azrie Safri, S. N., Thevadas, R., Noordin, N. K., Abd Rahman, A., Sekawi, Z., Ideris, A., Hameed Sultan, M. T., & h. (2020, June 2). Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia: Actions taken by the Malaysian government. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971220304008#:~:text=The%20Government%20of%20Malaysia%20enforced,personal%20protective%20equipment%20for%20frontliners.

Mat Dawi, N., Namazi, H., Hwang, H. J., Ismail, S., Maresova, P., & Krejcar, O. (2021, January 27). Attitude toward protective behavior engagement during covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia: The role of E-government and Social Media. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.609716/full#:~:text=Malaysia%20residents%20can%20get%20information,of%20CPRC%20KKM%20(24).

#Week7 #MDA20009

[travel-spend-management]

Concur Implementation Solutions | FinTrans Solutions | SAP Partner

[mariacallous]

In the early hours of March 22, Russian forces launched what Ukraine’s energy minister called the “largest attack” on Ukrainian infrastructure in recent times. Numerous critical infrastructure facilities across the country, including the Dnipro Dam, have been hit, and many places are without power or are under rolling blackouts to reduce demand on damaged systems. Additionally, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was briefly disconnected from the grid during the strikes, posing a risk of shutdown. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack a direct “war against ordinary people’s lives.”

Air raid sirens sounded throughout Ukraine early Friday as the Russian military launched massive missile strikes across the country. Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko called the strikes “the most extensive attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent times,” saying they were aimed at “causing a large-scale breakdown of the nation’s energy system.” Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of Ukraine’s high-voltage transmission operator Ukrenergo, concurred, saying the attack was the largest of its kind since the start of the full-scale war.

According to Halushchenko, power generation facilities as well as transmission and distribution systems in various regions were hit and damaged. Many places are without power.

The city of Kharkiv has been left almost entirely without electricity or running water following Russian strikes on over 15 energy infrastructure targets in the area, reported Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Russia launched 12 missiles on Zaporizhzhia, said regional Governor Ivan Fedorov. According to preliminary information, at least one person was killed and eight people were injured. Fedorov later reported that two more people are missing. At least seven residential buildings in the area were destroyed and 35 were damaged.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently under Russian control, was also on the verge of shutdown. During the attack, the overhead power line connecting the occupied plant to Ukraine’s power grid was disconnected.

Drone and missile strikes also damaged critical infrastructure in Kryvyi Rih, said Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul. The city is implementing emergency shutdown schedules and hospitals and other critical facilities are switching to generator power where possible.

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels reported a strike on the Dnipro Dam, a hydroelectric power plant. Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to Mariupol’s legitimate mayor, said a Russian missile hit a trolley traveling along the dam. According to him, the vehicle was filled with civilians who were commuting to work.

The Ukrainian energy company Ukrhydroenergo wrote that a fire broke out at the station but that the situation is under control and there is “no threat of breach.”

Ukrhydroenergo’s CEO, Ihor Syrota, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the Russian military hit the station’s Hydroelectric Power Plant 1 and Hydroelectric Power Plant 2 (HPP-1 and HPP-2). According to him, HPP-2 was severely damaged and may be beyond repair. One of the station’s supports was also hit, and crane beams were broken. “We’ll have to completely restore the machine room and electrical equipment,” Syrota said. “We’ll assess the consequences within the day and take stock of what happened.”

Authorities in Ukraine’s Sumy region have introduced a schedule of emergency blackouts to cope with damage from strikes on energy infrastructure. Russia’s attacks also reportedly damaged critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions.

Khmelnytskyi Mayor Oleksandr Symchyshyn wrote that there were dead and wounded after Russian strikes hit infrastructure facilities and homes in the city. Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry confirmed the deaths of two people in Khmelnytskyi.

Missile debris fell on homes in Ukraine’s Poltava region, and rolling blackouts have been implemented in the area. Local authorities have also introduced blackouts in the Kirovohrad region to reduce the strain on the energy grid.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia launched over 60 drones and around 90 missiles in the attack. Commenting on the strikes, Zelensky wrote that they were clear evidence of Russia’s intent to harm Ukrainian civilians:

Russia is waging war against ordinary people’s lives. […] Russian missiles don’t have delays like aid packages to our nation do. Shahed [drones] have no indecision like some politicians. It’s important to understand the cost of delays and postponed decisions. Patriot systems should be protecting Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia; we need air defense systems to protect people, infrastructure, homes, and dams. Our partners know exactly what’s needed. They can certainly provide support. These decisions are necessary. Life must be protected from these Moscow barbarians.

[beardedmrbean]

The Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General has found "multiple mistakes" that it said led to the release of a migrant whose name appeared on the FBI’s terror watch list – with the report sparking immediate criticism from the agency, which accused it of sensationalizing the case.

The case involved the apprehension of a migrant on April 17, 2022, he was later released by Border Patrol two days later after the FBI’s terrorist screening center determined he was an inconclusive match on the terror watch list, the DHS OIG report outlined.

However, two days later on April 21 in Palm Springs, California, the migrant and his family checked in for a flight to Tampa, Florida, at which point the FBI obtained additional information from TSA and found he was a positive watch list match and informed Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who then contacted the ICE subsidiary office in Tampa. The migrant missed the flight to California, but rebooked a flight to Florida the next day, the report says. He was later picked up by ICE in Florida on May 6.

BORDER PATROL RELEASED SUSPECTED TERRORIST WHO CROSSED INTO US ILLEGALLY, ICE TOOK WEEKS TO REARREST HIM 

While the migrant is not named in the report, Fox News reported last year that the migrant was a Colombian citizen and was put on GPS monitoring as an alternative to detention. ICE did not receive authorization to arrest him until May 4, Fox reported in May.

The inspector general report found that Customs and Border Protection did not provide information that the TSC would have been able to use to confirm his presence on the watchlist.

"This occurred because CBP’s ineffective practices and processes for resolving inconclusive matches with the Terrorist Watchlist led to multiple mistakes," the report says.

It specifically highlighted a request to interview the migrant sent to the wrong address, information obtained but not shared by officials, and a premature release of the migrant before there had been fully coordination between agencies.

The report also includes testimony from a Border Patrol agent at the processing center in Yuma, who said that he and his colleagues were trying to respond to emails from CBP’s National Targeting Center (NTC) but were busy processing an increased surge in migrants. The release of the man came in a busy month, where there were more than 235,000 migrant encounters in that month alone. Agents told investigators that Yuma’s center was over capacity, putting pressure on them to quickly process migrants and decrease the time available to them to review each file.

Meanwhile, ICE officials explained that while the agency prioritized the arrest, its Fugitive Operations did not receive the migrant’s file until 8 days after requesting it. Officials said that the delay may have been because the agency’s Yuma office receives about 1,000 alien files once or twice a week that it must sort, box and ship to Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) offices across the country. It is currently piloting using electronic A-files, but that pilot has not yet been expanded.

FBI TERROR WATCHLIST ARRESTS AT SOUTHERN BORDER FOR FY 23 HITS ALL-TIME RECORD 

The IG recommended that DHS implemented processed to better maintain email distribution lists, identify and share best practices for resolving inconclusive terror watch list matches and that ICE have immediate access to GPS data. 

DHS concurred with recommendations made, but criticized the report’s title and framing as misleading for allegedly suggesting that the agency knew he was on the watch list when that was not known and of mischaracterizing the arrest process and timeline. 

A DHS official noted that the individual was placed on GPS monitoring and that he was continuously monitored until he was apprehended by ICE, which followed appropriate procedure after being notified by the FBI that the migrant was a match. 

"This OIG report sensationalizes and mischaracterizes a complex case, in which CBP and ICE personnel took appropriate steps to ensure there was no threat to the public. Noncitizens encountered by CBP are thoroughly screened and vetted, and any individual determined to pose a threat to national security or public safety is detained," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

BORDER AGENTS ARREST MAN ON FBI TERROR WATCHLIST AMID MIGRANT INFLUX: CBP SOURCES

"The Department of Homeland Security is committed to protecting the American people and safeguarding our borders, and the Department is constantly working to improve information sharing and execute our vital mission," they said.

Some immigration hawks critical of the administration immediately cited the report as proof of what conservatives have dubbed a "dereliction of duty" under the Biden administration.

"This is yet another example of the Biden administration’s refusal to enforce common sense laws and practices to keep our border secure," RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE), told Fox News Digital. "What good is a terror watchlist if we allow them to waltz across our border and even board an airplane? These threats are a detriment to public safety and they’re being ignored to advance an open borders agenda."

Encounters of those on the watchlist, which may also includes family members or associates of a known or suspected terrorist and those who may no longer be associated with a foreign terrorist group, arrested by Border Patrol between ports of entry hit an all-time high at the southern border in FY 23.

As of the end of May, there have been 125 arrests at the southern border between ports of entry by Border Patrol since the fiscal year began in October. 

That is higher than FY 2022’s 98 encounters, which itself broke a record. In FY 21 there were just 15 arrests and in FY 20 just three. 

[chicorystreetcoffee]

forget the ny times article, here's the study.

The results in this article pose a challenge to the popularity and legitimacy of individual-level mental well-being interventions like mindfulness, resilience and stress management, relaxation classes and well-being apps. I find little evidence in support of any benefits from these interventions with even some small indication of harm that would confirm fears from critics (e.g., Frayne, 2019; Lovejoy et al., 2021).

and

As it stands, it seems premature to recommend individual-level interventions to all workers (e.g. NICE, 2022). I concur with reviewers of the field that organisational interventions, such as changes to scheduling, management practices, staff resources, performance review or job design (Fox et al., 2022), appear more beneficial for improving well-being (Lovejoy et al., 2021). Recommendations from the likes of NICE (2022) and Stevenson and Farmer (2017) do acknowledge the importance of working conditions, but more emphasis must be placed on the greater benefits of organisational rather than individual change, as well as on the importance of high-quality intervention implementation.

Source

Source

[nursingwriter]

Health Care Zwetsloot, G., Pot, F., (2004) the Business Value of Health Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 55, No. The Business Value of Health Management states that "many organizations in Western Europe are increasingly being confronted with the financial impact of the effects of health on their business processes, and in particular the ever rising costs of disease (sickness) absence and disability among their personnel" (Zwetsloot, Pot, 2004, p. 115). In response to that, the article shows how an Integrated Health Management (IHM) approach has been implemented by many of the effected companies. The IHM approach considers seven different areas that determine how to best manage the health, healthcare costs and healthcare benefits provided by company and enjoyed by employees. What the article determines is that such an approach "brings the company direct economic benefits" (Zwetsloot, p. 115). Other studies agree that costs of rising health care and that worksite health promotion (WHP) is useful in containing company costs, while at the same time provides for healthier employees, which has direct and indirect benefits for both the company and the employee. One recent study showed that providing company healthcare programs was not all about costs but that there were moral considerations as well. "While both senior GMs and HRMs are motivated primarily by their beliefs that WHP reduces indirect costs of health failure, GMs were also motivated by their moral responsibility towards employees" (Downey, Sharp, 2007, p. 103). What was interesting about the article being discussed was how it showed that being healthy was more than just concerned with the health of the individual, it was concerned with the health of the company as well. The article states that "the concepts of health organizations and corporate social responsibility are closely connected. Both concepts include healthy employees (people) and a healthy environment (planet) and, in the metaphorical sense of the word, a healthy company is a financially successful one (profits)" (Zwetsloot, p. 116). Therefore, at least according to this article, providing good health for the individual employee also provides a more healthy environment and healthier profits for the company. Second article Noblet, a., LaMontagne, a.D., (2006) the role of workplace health promotion in addressing job stress, Health Promotion International, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 346-353 This article also addresses the advantages and benefits of worksite health promotion (WHP) and in particular how such a program can help in controlling worksite stress issues. The article states, "The enormous human and economic costs associated with occupational stress suggest that initiatives designed to prevent and/or reduce employee stress should be high on the agenda of workplace health promotion (WHP) programs" (Noblet, LaMontagne, 2006, p. 346). Along with the article's assertion that reducing employee stress should be beneficial to both the individual and the company, the article also documents the many problems that can occur due to stress in the workplace. The article espouses, "For employees, chronic exposure to stressful situations such as work overload, poor supervisory support and low input into decision-making have been cross-sectionally and prospectively linked to a range of debilitating health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, immune deficiency disorders and cardiovascular disease" (Noblet, p. 347). Many of these illnesses are debilitating and can be long-term which adds to the company's cost due to employee absence(s) directly affecting the company's bottom line. Other recent studies concur that; "a worksite health promotion is a highly effective approach to reduce the system-wide demand for healthcare services, since at its core is the notion of prevention and detection -- preventing mortality, morbidity and trauma (injury), and detecting and addressing work- and lifestyle-related health risk factors (Musich et al., 2000; Ozminkowski et al., 2002; Aldana et al., 2005). Though the programs described in the above articles are different in their approach both articles show how promoting health in the workplace is a benefit for more than just the company or the employees, it also benefits society in general, allowing for less healthcare expenses and a happier, healthier society. Works Cited Aldana, S.G., Merrill, R.M., Price, K., Hardy, a. And Hager, R. (2005) Financial impact of a comprehensive multisite workplace health promotion program, Preventive Medicine, 40, 131-137. https://www.paperdue.com/customer/paper/health-care-zwetsloot-g-pot-32814#:~:text=Logout-,HealthCareZwetslootGPot,-Length2pages Downey, a.M., Sharp, D.J., (2007) Why do managers allocate resources to workplace health promotion programmes in countries with national health coverage?, Health Promotion International, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 102-111 Musich, S.A., Adams, L. And Edington, D.W. (2000) Effectiveness of health promotion programs in moderating medical costs in the U.S.A., Health Promotion International, 15, 5-15 Ozminkowski, R., Ling, D., Goetzel, R., Bruno, J., Rutter, K., Isaac, F. et al. (2002) Long-term impact of Johnson & Johnson's health & wellness program on health care utilization and expenditures. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 44, 21-29. Zwetsloot, G., Pot, F., (2004) the Business Value of Health Management, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 55, No. 2, pp. 115-124 Read the full article

[sagetgamedev]

Playtesting

After implementing my tutorial section, and some audio, I got two playtesters to play through the game.

One was a classmate (Gabe Falconieri) and the other my girlfriend (Holly Dorsett). Unfortunately due to how the playtesting was done, I was unable to review Gabes experience first hand, but based on his scores I would say he enjoyed his experience and came away with some great insights for me and how to develop my game further.

Gabe - Playtest

He easily understood the main mechanic of the game and enjoyed the concept as a whole. I agree that to improve elements of my game is probably the timing window of the parrying mechanic (this is also something I witnessed first hand with Hollys experience). Additionally I agree with the inclusion of some vertical hazards and potential for vertical mobility - I haven't yet figured out how to code this in. It is something Ideally would like to incorporate, similar to the game "Getting over it".

Holly - Playtest

Holly had a bit more difficulty with the game overall, and I did have to tweak the timing window for the parry mechanic. I think she still enjoyed the experience overall, but did have some trouble leaving personal bias at the door.

As per her comments, she understood all the mechanics as the tutorial was clear and concise. I did note that one of the text notes can be easily missed, so in future I will extend the timer so the player can read it for longer (in case they miss it).

I agree with her comments of elements to improve. It appears mainly to revolve around level design that revolves around the momentum gained by the parry mechanic. I again concur with her thoughts on overall aesthetics being overhauled and more story driven elements. I have ideas for how to incorporate the story beats and as per the "Game Design Workshop" book, have more dramatic elements to involve the player.